ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Animal Nutrition and Metabolism
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1641809
This article is part of the Research TopicExploring the Nexus: Diet and Microbiome Dynamics Across Gut, Oral, and Skin of Companion AnimalsView all 10 articles
Metabolic Profiling of Prebiotic, Probiotic, and Synbiotic Supplements in a Canine Colonic Fermentation Model: A Pilot Feasibility Study Reveals Distinct and Complementary Effects
Provisionally accepted
- 1University of Teramo, Teramo, Italy
- 2Indipendent researcher, Savona, Italy
- 3Azienda Usl, Teramo, Italy
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The gut microbiota is a central player in canine health, influencing digestion, immune modulation, and metabolic homeostasis. Microbiota imbalance fuels interest in dietary interventions such as prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics (a combination of prebiotics and probiotics). This pilot feasibility study employed the SCIME™, a novel in vitro fermentation model simulating the canine colonic environment, to evaluate the metabolic effects of three dietary supplements using fecal inoculum from a single healthy canine donor. Products tested were Microbiotal (product M), a probiotic (product P, Lactobacilli reuteri), and a synbiotic (product M+P: Microbiotal +L. reuteri). Over a 2-week treatment period, fermentation parameters, including short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, acidification trends, and proteolytic activity, were measured using a high-resolution metabolomic profiling via the Laser-Assisted Rapid Evaporative Ionization Mass Spectrometry (LA-REIMS). Descriptive observations revealed distinct and complementary metabolic patterns. Microbiotal supplementation enhanced acidification in both the proximal and distal colon, with stimulation of acetate production in the proximal colon. Treatment with L. reuteri stimulated lactate production while reducing acetate and propionate levels. The synbiotic treatment showed combined effects, increasing acetate in the distal colon and producing metabolic shifts, as determined by LA-REIMS analysis. All treatments showed trends toward increased proteolytic markers in the distal colon. This pilot in vitro feasibility study demonstrates that prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics produce distinct metabolic fingerprints in vitro, warranting future validation through studies with multiple donors, independent SCIME™ runs, and in vivo trials to assess generalizability and explore potential applications in canine gastrointestinal research.
Keywords: Canine gut microbiota, prebiotic, probiotic, Metabolomics, colonic fermentation model, pilotfeasibility study
Received: 16 Jul 2025; Accepted: 16 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 GRAMENZI, Clerico, Bela', Leonardo, Fusaro and Pignataro. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Giulia Pignataro, gpignataro@unite.it
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