Title：Simulated Digestion and Fermentation In Vitro by Obese Human Gut Microbiota of Sulforaphane from Broccoli Seeds
Authors：Yifei Sun, Zhaocheng Tang, Tingting Hao, Zeyu Qiu, Baolong Zhang
Affiliation：School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Background：Sulforaphane is a kind of isothiocyanate, which is obtained by hydrolysis of glucosinolate by the unique myrosinase in plants. It has been proved to prevent the occurrence of many chronic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes and cancer. However, the impact of sulforaphane on obese human gut flora has not been established, which is the core issue this study intends to solve.
Objective：To investigate the effect of sulforaphane isolated from broccoli seeds on the structure and function of gut microbiota in obese humans through in vitro simulated digestion and fermentation experiments.
Methods
1、First, sulforaphane was isolated from broccoli seeds and refined to achieve a purity of 95%, ensuring the reliability of the experimental samples.
2、An in vitro simulation system was constructed to simulate the digestion process of sulforaphane in human saliva, gastric juice and intestinal juice.
3、The processed sulforaphane was subjected to in vitro fermentation experiments with gut microbiota from obese patients, and the changes in microbiota composition and short-chain fatty acid production during the fermentation process were monitored and analyzed.
Results
1、Sulforaphane showed good stability in simulated saliva, gastric juice and intestinal juice. This stability ensures that it can successfully reach the intestinal tract and be utilized by gut microbiota, laying a foundation for its regulatory effect on gut flora.
2、After in vitro fermentation with gut microbes from obese patients, the composition of the microbiota changed significantly. The relative abundances of beneficial genera including Lactobacillus, Weissella, Leuconostoc, Algiphilus and Faecalibacterium increased remarkably.
3、The abundances of detrimental genera such as Escherichia – Shigella, Klebsiella, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Sutterella, Megamonas and Proteus decreased drastically.
4、In terms of metabolite production, the content of butyric acid and valeric acid produced by gut microbiota after sulforaphane intervention increased by 1.21 – fold and 1.46 – fold respectively.
Conclusion：Taken together, these findings demonstrate that sulforaphane can be used as a nutraceutical ingredient for obese patients and for improving human health.