By: I Nengah Sujaya, Komang Ayu Nocianitri, Ni Nengah Dwi Fatmawati, Yan Ramona, Ni Wayan Arya Utami
ABSTRACT
This study was aimed to find out the effect of the administration of a promising probiotic strain, Weissella confusa F213 (WCF213), on gut microbiota (GM). The study design was pre- and post-analysis, which has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University. Faecal samples were collected from 9 healthy subjects, which were collected before and after 28 days of probiotics consumption and after 14 days washed-out period. Profile of gut microbiota was analysed using Next-Generation DNA sequencing (NGS). Furthermore, defecation frequency, stool form and colour, and side effects of probiotics consumption were tightly monitored. The results showed that the administration of WCF213 increased the diversities of GM among the study group (beta diversity) and in individual subjects (alfa diversity). Administration of WCF213 increased Firmicutes and lowered the proportion of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. Enterobacteriaceae, Bifidobacteriaceae, and Corriobacteriaceae were decreased that coincided with an increase of Lactobacillaceae, Leuconostoccaeae, and Bacillaceae due to WCF213 administration. Verrucomicrobia, Saccharibacteria, and Bacteriodetes were also observed that gradually increasing during WCF213 administration. There were no inconvenience and any adverse effects during the probiotic’s consumption, but conversely gave a positive effect on defecation frequency and stool form. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the administration of WCF213 did not result in a dramatic change in the composition of gut microbiota and elicited a good effect on defecation. Further studies are required to explore more evidence on the safety issues and functionality of WCF213 as a promising probiotic for humans.