International Journal of Pharmacology1811-77751812-5700Asian Network for Scientific Information10.3923/ijp.2018.291.300LongTing YuZhi-Jun WangJun LiuJia HeBing-Shu 22018142Background and Objective: The alterations in the gut microbiota composition are gaining increasing attention in view of their influence on the development of ulcerative colitis. The anti colitis effect of orally administered chitooligosaccharides (COS) had been reported in the animal models of ulcerative colitis but the mechanism is still uncertain. Interestingly, COS have long been proposed as potential natural prebiotics based on in vitro experiments. The aim of this study is to confirm the prebiotic property of COS in vivo and further clarify the mechanisms of their anti colitis effect. Materials and Methods: The COS at the dose of 500 mg kg1 were orally given normal mice and colitis mice treated by 3.5% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). The colon microbial composition in mice was evaluated by qualitative analysis of 16S ribosomal DNA in colonic content samples using real-time PCR. Results: The COS could function as prebiotics by increasing the levels of Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria phyla, the relative ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes, as well as common probiotics such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and inhibiting the growth of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria phyla, as well as potential pathogens such as Enterococcus, in both normal and colitis mice. In addition, oral intake of COS were found to enhance the colonic concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the dominating fermentation end-products of bacteria in the large bowel having abilities to support the transport processes, energy metabolism, cellular growth and differentiation of colonocytes. 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