Responses of intestinal microbiota to inulin was initial microbiota context dependent and affected by the supplementation dosage

Intestinal microbiota could respond to dietary fibres that are fermented by the gut microbiota, like prebiotics. Nevertheless, the dynamics of intestinal microbial community longitudinally after prebiotics intake, are still largely unknown. The current study unrevealed the successional process of intestinal microbial community after inulin supplementation, and the effect of supplementation dosage thereof, based on analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences in C57BL/6 mice. We found that independent of supplementation dosage, intake of inulin could affect the intestinal microbial community within a day. Thereafter, the intestinal microbial community kept evolving until the last day of the supplementation (day 14) as a successional process, which was represented by the succession between intermediate and sluggish inulin responders. Remarkably, the successional process was initial microbial community context dependent and affected by the supplementation dosage. Specifically, the supplementation dosage affected the successional speed and the composition of the intermediate and sluggish inulin responders. Decreasing the relative abundance of previously identified intermediate responders, altered the successional process during inulin supplementation. Collectively, independent of supplementation dosage, the response of intestinal microbial community was rapid and the inulin induced temporal dynamics was represented by the succession between the intermediate and sluggish inulin responders. Nevertheless, the inulin induced successional process was initial microbial community context dependent and affected by the supplementation dosage. Findings of the current study would aid in the understanding of intestinal microbes' assembly during inulin supplementation and provide valuable support for dietary recommendations regarding to the use of prebiotics from the intestinal microbiota point of view.