2. Academic Validation
  3. Effect of cocoa's theobromine on intestinal microbiota of rats

Effect of cocoa's theobromine on intestinal microbiota of rats

  • Mol Nutr Food Res. 2017 Oct;61(10). doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201700238.
Sandra Martín-Peláez 1 2 3,  Mariona Camps-Bossacoma 3 4,  Malen Massot-Cladera 3 4,  Mar Rigo-Adrover 3 4,  Àngels Franch 3 4,  Francisco J Pérez-Cano 3 4,  Margarida Castell 3 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Cardiovascular Risk and Nutrition Research Group, REGICOR Study Group, Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain.
  • 2 Spanish Biomedical Research Networking Centre-Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBERobn), Health Institute Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
  • 3 Physiology Section, Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Science, University of Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain.
  • 4 Nutrition and Food Safety Research Institute (INSA-UB), Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain.
PMID: 28605130 DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.201700238
Abstract

Scope: To establish the role of cocoa theobromine on gut microbiota composition and fermentation products after cocoa consumption in rats.

Methods and results: Lewis rats were fed either a standard diet (RF diet), a diet containing 10% cocoa (CC diet) or a diet including 0.25% theobromine (TB diet) for 15 days. Gut microbiota (fluorescence in situ hybridization coupled to flow cytometry and metagenomics analysis), SCFA and IgA-coated bacteria were analyzed in fecal samples. CC and TB diets induced lower counts of E. coli whereas TB diet led to lower counts of Bifidobacterium spp., Streptococcus spp. and Clostridium histolyticum-C. perfingens group compared to RF diet. Metagenomics analysis also revealed a different microbiota pattern among the studied groups. The SCFA content was higher after both CC and TB diets, which was mainly due to enhanced butyric acid production. Furthermore, both diets decreased the proportion of IgA-coated bacteria.

Conclusion: Cocoa's theobromine plays a relevant role in some effects related to cocoa intake, such as the lower proportion of IgA-coated bacteria. Moreover, theobromine modifies gut microbiota although other cocoa compounds could also act on intestinal bacteria, attenuating or enhancing the theobromine effects.

Keywords

FISH; Metagenomics; Methylxanthines; Microbiota; Short-chain fatty acids.

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