Figure 2.

F. prausnitzii grown on inulin improves Caco-2 cell viability when cocultured in the complete absence of glucose. (a) Caco-2 cell viability after 18 h coculture without (gray bars) or with (blue bars) F. prausnitzii in the HoxBan system containing glucose, inulin or pectin as sole carbon and energy source. (b, c) Corresponding mRNA levels of NOS2 (b) and HMOX1 (c) in the F. prausnitzii-Caco-2 coculture shown in A. Basal levels of NOS2 and HMOX1 are reduced in Caco-2-F. prausnitzii cocultures on inulin and pectin when compared to glucose, with no significant additional effect of the presence of F. prausnitzii. (d) In the complete absence of glucose, inulin- or pectin-grown F. prausnitzii forms a growth rim in the upper part of the bacterial compartment (red arrows), which is closer to the coverslip (black arrows) containing Caco-2 cells (bottom panels) compared to empty coverslips (top panels). All experiments were performed with two biological replicates, each with an N = 3 (inulin) and 2 (pectin). **P < .01; ****P < .0001