The protective effect of 2’-Fucosyllactose on LPS-induced colitis suckling mice by ameliorating intestinal inflammation and modulating gut microbiota

2′-Fucosyllactose (2′-FL), the main component of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), has been shown to prevent intestinal diseases and its underlying mechanism remains unclear. The protective effect of 2′-FL against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced colitis in suckling mice model was investigated by attenuating intestinal inflammation and modulating gut microbiota in the present study. 2′-FL supplementation significantly ameliorated loss in body weight, diarrhea score and histological damage in colitis mice. 2′-FL also reduced inflammatory infiltrates in colon epithelium, and IL-1β release in a dose-dependent manner. 16S rRNA gene sequencing results showed that 2′-FL improved the gut microbiota diversity and increased the Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio. In particular, 2′-FL dramatically increased the relative abundance of Bacteroides and Akkermansia. The abundance of Bifidobacterium and Faecalibacterium in high dose of 2′-FL group (FLH) was higher than that in low dose of 2′-FL group (FLL). Moreover, FLH treatment significantly elevated the content of total short-chain fatty acids that nearly reached its normal level, especially the levels of propionate and butyrate in the colonic fecal of colitis mice. 2′-FL might be used as a promising dietary supplement to prevent intestinal disorders through suppressing intestinal inflammation and modulating gut microbiota.