Introduction: This study investigated the separate impacts of diet and pre-operative antibiotics on gut microbiome and colonic anastomotic healing using a mouse model.
Methods: Male C57BL/6J mice were fed either low-fat-high-fibre (SD) or high-fat-low-fiber (WD) groups for 6 weeks, then further received either pre-operative antibiotics or a control sham before a colonic anastomotic procedure was performed. After 7 days, the anastomosis was assessed and microbiota composition and biodiversity were analyzed in anastomotic tissue and stool.
Results: WD-fed mice had shorter survival (5.2 ± 2.3 vs. 6.9 ± 2.3 days, p = 0.022), increased weight loss (5.55 ± 3.80g vs. 2.65 ± 2.36g, p = 0.03), and reduced biodiversity compared to SD-fed mice. Pre-operative antibiotics improved anastomotic healing scores (1.33 ± 0.65 vs. 2.08 ± 0.79, p = 0.02) and reduced Enterococcus faecalis growth in tissue and stool (p = 0.02, p = 0.02). Improved anastomotic healing correlated with lower Enterococcus abundance (p = 0.04) and higher collagen III and IV levels (p = 0.01, 0.04) in anastomotic tissue.
Conclusion: SD promotes enhanced post-operative recovery and increased microbiome biodiversity, while pre-operative antibiotics enhance anastomotic healing by suppressing Enterococcus faecalis growth, mitigating collagen III/IV degradation.
Keywords: Anastomosis; Biodiversity; Colorectal surgery; High-fiber diet; Preoperative antibiotics.
Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.