PhD Scientific Days 2026

Poster Session 2.T - Surgical Medicine

Prehabilitation with prebiotic supplements prevents intestinal inflammation and anastomotic leak through the gut microbiota

Előadó neve

Dr. Kovács, Szabina

Neptune code

O0K9P1

Előadó munkahelye

Department of Surgery, Transplantation and Gastroenterology

Előadó telefonszáma

06308540673

Előadó e-mail címe

kovacs.szabina@stud.semmelweis.hu

Az előadás címe

Prehabilitation with prebiotic supplements prevents intestinal inflammation and anastomotic leak through the gut microbiota

Szerző(k) neve és munkahelye

Szabina Kovacs¹, Krisztian Szigeti², Krisztian Laczi³, Balint Hofmeister⁴, Nora Makra⁴, Zsuzsanna Dunai⁴, Eszter Ostorhazi⁴, Andras Budai⁵, Balazs Banky¹, Attila Szijarto¹, Andras Fulop¹

1: Semmelweis University; Department of Surgery, Transplantation and Gastroenterology
2: Semmelweis University; Department of Biophysics and Radiation Biology
3: University of Szeged; Institute of Biology; Faculty of Science and Informatics; Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology
4: Semmelweis University; Institute of Medical Microbiology
5: Semmelweis University; Department of Pathology, Forensic and Insurance Medicine

Bemutatás módja

Poszter

Szekció

Poster Session 2.T - Surgical Medicine

Language of the presentation

Hungarian

Preferred session

Surgical Medicine

Összefoglaló szövege

Anastomotic leakage represents one of the most severe complications in colorectal surgery. Emerging evidence suggests that the gut microbiome is implicated in the development of anastomotic complications. Restoring microbial balance by augmenting beneficial and decreasing pathogenic bacteria could potentially serve as a strategy to prevent anastomotic leak. Prebiotics are plant-derived fibers that promote the growth of beneficial microbes and may therefore enhance surgical outcomes. However, evidence for their effectiveness is limited.
We aimed to investigate the effect of preoperative prebiotic supplementation on colonic inflammation and anastomotic healing.
76 male Wistar rats were allocated into standard (S), prebiotic-treated (P) and corresponding colitis groups (SC, PC). After 4 weeks of pretreatments, chemically induced colitis was initiated until surgery, where colon resection was performed with primary anastomosis. Preoperative microbial composition was evaluated through 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Changes in Disease Activity Index (DAI), colon weight/length ratio, histopathological inflammatory reaction, mucosal fold length and crypt depth were measured to determine colitis severity. Postoperative outcomes and anastomotic healing were evaluated through survival, macroscopic assessment of adhesions, anastomotic bursting pressure, hydroxiproline and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) levels.
Prehabilitation with prebiotics improved microbial composition. The reduced alpha diversity and unfavorable compositional shift observed in SC compared to S diminished in the PC group. Prebiotic pretreatment reduced the extent of intestinal damage, which was evidenced by the improvement of the DAI, colon weight-to-length ratio, length of mucosal folds and crypts in the PC group compared to the SC. Preoperative prebiotic supplementation improved postoperative outcomes, supported by enhanced survival, fewer adhesions, higher anastomotic bursting pressure, increased hydroxyproline and reduced MMP levels in the PC group compared to the SC.
Our results suggest that preoperative prebiotic supplementation prevents inflammatory flare-ups and improves intestinal anastomotic healing. Therefore, it is important to consider incorporating prebiotics into prehabilitation protocols for appropriate patient groups.
Semmelweis University 250+ PhD Excellence Grant (134534/DIDIT/2025)

University

Semmelweis University

Supervisor

Andras Fulop

Publication of my abstract

I give consent to the publication of my abstract on the website of the congress.

phd.section.field

in doctoral studies after complex exam (PhD)

Kind

Szabad

Status

elfogadva

Accepted presentation method

poszter

Előadás fájl jóváhagyás

nem rendelkezett róla

Előadó

8030

Start

18:06

End

18:09