AUTHOR=Rocha Martin Vanesa Natalin , Del’Homme Christophe , Chassard Christophe , Schwab Clarissa , Braegger Christian , Bernalier-Donadille Annick , Lacroix Christophe 

TITLE=A proof of concept infant-microbiota associated rat model for studying the role of gut microbiota and alleviation potential of Cutibacterium avidum in infant colic

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.902159

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2022.902159

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=<p>Establishing the relationship between gut microbiota and host health has become a main target of research in the last decade. Human gut microbiota-associated animal models represent one alternative to human research, allowing for intervention studies to investigate causality. Recent cohort and <italic>in vitro</italic> studies proposed an altered gut microbiota and lactate metabolism with excessive H<sub>2</sub> production as the main causes of infant colic. To evaluate H<sub>2</sub> production by infant gut microbiota and to test modulation of gut colonizer lactose- and lactate-utilizer non-H<sub>2</sub>-producer, <italic>Cutibacterium avidum</italic> P279, we established and validated a gnotobiotic model using young germ-free rats inoculated with fecal slurries from infants younger than 3 months. Here, we show that infant microbiota-associated (IMA) rats inoculated with fresh feces from healthy (<italic>n</italic> = 2) and colic infants (<italic>n</italic> = 2) and fed infant formula acquired and maintained similar quantitative and qualitative fecal microbiota composition compared to the individual donor’s profile. We observed that IMA rats excreted high levels of H<sub>2</sub>, which were linked to a high abundance of lactate-utilizer H<sub>2</sub>-producer <italic>Veillonella</italic>. Supplementation of <italic>C. avidum</italic> P279 to colic IMA rats reduced H<sub>2</sub> levels compared to animals receiving a placebo. Taken together, we report high H<sub>2</sub> production by infant gut microbiota, which might be a contributing factor for infant colic, and suggest the potential of <italic>C. avidum</italic> P279 in reducing the abdominal H<sub>2</sub> production, bloating, and pain associated with excessive crying in colic infants.</p>