Metagenomic analysis reveals changes in microbiota profile of an obese, eveningness chronotype person after in vitro pistachio digestion and colonic fermentation

Abstract

Background: Chronodisruption and that late chronotypes impact gut dysbiosis and obesity risk. However, food-derived chronobiotics such as phyto-melatonin (PMT) may alleviate it. Pistachios are a good source of chronobiotics, and to date, they are the most source of PMT reported. This study aimed to evaluate pistachios' in vitro chronobiotic potential and microbiota profile after in vitro fermentation. Methods: Pistachio digestion was evaluated under in vitro static method. The non-digested pistachio fraction was used as a substrate for an in vitro colonic fermentation. After fermentation (6h), fecal microbiota populations were determined by 16S rRNA sequencing. Results: During all the gastrointestinal stages, bioaccessibility was low for PMT pistachio samples (Oral: 1.92, Gastric: 0.83, Intestinal [60 min]: 1.79, Colonic [6 h]: 0.32%) chemoinformatics, and an in silico analysis support the idea that this compound is bioavailable since oral stage. The in vitro pistachio fermentation modified microbiota profile at Phylum level by an increased and decreased counts of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, respectively. Actinobacteria were higher after pistachio fermentation, along with an increased abundance of Bifidobacterium. Conclusion: Pistachio digestion increasing bioaccessibility, and permeability of PTM, also induced microbiota changes; this might alleviate chronodisruption and gut dysbiosis; however additional studies are necessary.