Prebiotic potential and other health benefits of prebiotic mixture of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L) in Wistar NIN rats

Abstract

The legume prebiotics, especially galacto-oligosaccharides, are the center of health since they play a crucial role in maintaining gut health. The aim of the present study was to understand the role of prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L) on gut microbiota, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus in Wistar National Institute of Nutrition NIN rats. Proximate composition and oligosaccharide content of the pigeon pea was estimated and for animal experiment, four-week-old weaning male Wistar National Institute of Nutrition NIN rats (N = 36) were divided equally into three groups (n = 12) control, raffinose, and pigeon pea prebiotics groups. All the groups were fed with the respective diet for 18 weeks. After 18 weeks 5 ml of blood was drawn from the retro-orbital plexus and the rats were sacrificed by (CO2) inhalation. Among the studied groups, the pigeon pea prebiotic supplementation significantly (p˂0.05) lowered body weight gain (284.7 ± 36.4 grams) and resulted in lower body mass index (3.79 ± 0.18kg / m2). The fat percent was significantly lower in pigeon pea prebiotic fed group (7.8 ± 2.7) than raffinose (11.6 ± 3.1) and control (13.8 ± 2) groups. Pigeon pea prebiotic feeding significantly (< 0.05) lowered blood glucose levels; it also improved the Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA IR) index in pigeon pea prebiotic group (32.08 ± 5.37). Pigeon pea prebiotic feeding significantly (p˂0.05) enhanced the fold increase of lactobacillus and bifidobacterial count when compared to raffinose fed group. The present study explores the role of pigeon pea prebiotics on gut microbiota and the regulation of some of the features of metabolic syndrome such as obesity and diabetes.