Effect of Aloe vera whole leaf extract on short chain fatty acids production by Bacteroides fragilis, Bifidobacterium infantis and Eubacterium limosum

Aims: To investigate the effect of Aloe vera whole leaf extract on pure and mixed human gut bacterial cultures by assessing the bacterial growth and changes in the production of short chain fatty acids. Methods and Results: Bacteroides fragilis, Bifidobacterium infantis, and Eubacterium limosum were incubated with Aloe vera extracts [0%, 0.5%, 1%, 1.5% and 2%; (w/v)] for 24 and 48 h. Short chain fatty acids production was measured by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses. A significant linear increase in growth response to Aloe vera supplementation was observed at 24 h for each of the bacterial cultures; however, only B. infantis and a mixed bacterial culture showed a significant positive linear dose response in growth at 48 h. In pure bacteria cultures, a significantly enhanced dose response to Aloe vera supplementation was observed in the production of acetic acid by B. infantis at 24 h and of butyric acid by E. limosum at 24 and 48 h. In the mixed bacterial culture, the production of propionic acid was reduced significantly at 24 and 48 h in a dose-dependent fashion, whereas butyric acid production showed a significant linear increase. Conclusions: The results indicated that Aloe vera possessed bacteriogenic activity in vitro and altered the production of acetic, butyric and propionic acids by micro-organisms selected for the study. Significance and Impact of the Study: The results of the study suggest that consumption of a dietary supplement, Aloe vera, may alter the production of short chain fatty acids by human intestinal microflora.