Prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides improve gut microbiota and secretory immunoglobulins in Sprague Dawley rats

Amna Ashraf Bajwa; Sanaullah Iqbal; Muhammad Nasir; Aftab Ahmad Anjum; Amna Ashraf Bajwa; Sanaullah Iqbal; Muhammad Nasir; Aftab Ahmad Anjum

doi:10.3934/medsci.2026016

AIMS Medical Science

2026, Volume 13, Issue 4: 225-237. doi: 10.3934/medsci.2026016

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Research article

Prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides improve gut microbiota and secretory immunoglobulins in Sprague Dawley rats

1.
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
2.
Institute of Microbiology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan

Received: 08 January 2026 Revised: 21 September 2026 Accepted: 15 October 2026 Published: 22 October 2026

Prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) impart a wide array of health effects on gut microbiota and subsequently improve the host's immunological response; however, their prebiotic potential is affected by several factors, including dose, duration, composition, etc. This study used commercial GOS to evaluate their impact on selected gut microbial populations and secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA). The GOS were supplemented in the basal diet (1% w/w) fed to male Sprague–Dawley rats. Physical parameters such as body weight and organ weights, serum biochemical analysis, and cecal microbial population were determined after 4 weeks of intervention. GOS alone significantly increased bifidobacteria and lactobacilli growth in the intervention group (p < 0.05) without changing total bacteria after 4 weeks. Clostridia and coliform counts were significantly reduced only in the GOS group. Bifidobacteria also improved significantly over time, whereas all other microbes remained unaffected by time alone or by diet. The parameters of blood chemistry, serum glucose, AST and ALT, TC, LDL, and TG were not affected significantly (p > 0.05) by GOS addition in the diet; however, HDL improved significantly. GOS significantly improved sIgA in cecal and ileal contents (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. These findings indicate that GOS supplementation may exert prebiotic effects by increasing selected beneficial bacterial populations and intestinal sIgA levels in animal models.
- galacto-oligosaccharide,
- immunoglobulins,
- sIgA,
- bifidobacteria,
- prebiotics
Citation: Amna Ashraf Bajwa, Sanaullah Iqbal, Muhammad Nasir, Aftab Ahmad Anjum. Prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides improve gut microbiota and secretory immunoglobulins in Sprague Dawley rats[J]. AIMS Medical Science, 2026, 13(4): 225-237. doi: 10.3934/medsci.2026016

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Abstract

Prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) impart a wide array of health effects on gut microbiota and subsequently improve the host's immunological response; however, their prebiotic potential is affected by several factors, including dose, duration, composition, etc. This study used commercial GOS to evaluate their impact on selected gut microbial populations and secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA). The GOS were supplemented in the basal diet (1% w/w) fed to male Sprague–Dawley rats. Physical parameters such as body weight and organ weights, serum biochemical analysis, and cecal microbial population were determined after 4 weeks of intervention. GOS alone significantly increased bifidobacteria and lactobacilli growth in the intervention group (p < 0.05) without changing total bacteria after 4 weeks. Clostridia and coliform counts were significantly reduced only in the GOS group. Bifidobacteria also improved significantly over time, whereas all other microbes remained unaffected by time alone or by diet. The parameters of blood chemistry, serum glucose, AST and ALT, TC, LDL, and TG were not affected significantly (p > 0.05) by GOS addition in the diet; however, HDL improved significantly. GOS significantly improved sIgA in cecal and ileal contents (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. These findings indicate that GOS supplementation may exert prebiotic effects by increasing selected beneficial bacterial populations and intestinal sIgA levels in animal models.

Acknowledgments

The authors are very much thankful to the Higher Education Commission, Islamabad, Pakistan, for funding this study, Project No. 17-5-Ph-II(2Av1-142) (Indigenous 5000 Ph.D. Fellowship Program). Ms. Hina Ijaz and Dr. Umar Bacha are acknowledged for their assistance during the entire study.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Ethical Review Committee for Animal Care (No. ERC-0642 dated 08-02-2023). Consent to participate is not applicable.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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