Dietary polysaccharides as direct substrates for SCFA production: mechanisms and precision prebiotic intervention strategies
Abstract
Conventional prebiotics lack the structural specificity to direct colonic fermentation toward defined outputs. Dietary polysaccharides (DPs) serve as direct fermentation substrates, and their architecture—monosaccharide composition, glycosidic linkages, molecular weight and branching—determines which short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing taxa can access them. This selectivity is governed by carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) repertoires and cross-feeding networks. We propose a dual-track precision framework: structure-guided matching of DPs to target SCFA producers, and individualized selection informed by baseline microbiota and disease-specific deficits. The proposed dual-track framework is a theoretical model that requires rigorous validation in human clinical trials. This work provides a mechanism-driven theoretical basis for advancing dietary polysaccharides from empirical prebiotics to precision nutrition tools.
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BibTeX
@article{lan2026dietary,
title = {{Dietary polysaccharides as direct substrates for SCFA production: mechanisms and precision prebiotic intervention strategies}},
author = {Xin Lan and Yuanyu Zhao and Xi Li and Jianan Feng and Yu Wang and Ying Li and Chang Liu and Guanhua Lou and Yong Lai},
journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2026.1997604},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1997604},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Dietary polysaccharides as direct substrates for SCFA production: mechanisms and precision prebiotic intervention strategies
AU - Xin Lan
AU - Yuanyu Zhao
AU - Xi Li
AU - Jianan Feng
AU - Yu Wang
AU - Ying Li
AU - Chang Liu
AU - Guanhua Lou
AU - Yong Lai
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
JO - Frontiers in Microbiology
DO - 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1997604
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1997604
AB - Conventional prebiotics lack the structural specificity to direct colonic fermentation toward defined outputs. Dietary polysaccharides (DPs) serve as direct fermentation substrates, and their architecture—monosaccharide composition, glycosidic linkages, molecular weight and branching—determines which short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing taxa can access them. This selectivity is governed by carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) repertoires and cross-feeding networks. We propose a dual-track precision framework: structure-guided matching of DPs to target SCFA producers, and individualized selection informed by baseline microbiota and disease-specific deficits. The proposed dual-track framework is a theoretical model that requires rigorous validation in human clinical trials. This work provides a mechanism-driven theoretical basis for advancing dietary polysaccharides from empirical prebiotics to precision nutrition tools.
SN - 1664-302X
ER -