| Summary: | The colonic microbiota, comprising 500 species and 40 trillion bacteria, is influenced by various factors, such as diet, habits, and constitution, which impact human health and disease. This paper discusses the significance of colonic microbiota in human health and explores various in vitro colonic microbiota culture models to evaluate the effects of functional ingredients on gut microbiota. Traditional evaluation methods involve animal experiments and human intervention studies. However, ethical and practical challenges remain. This study introduces the Kobe University Human Intestinal Microbiota Model (KUHIMM) as an innovative in vitro culture system. This study details the operational methods and distinctive features of the KUHIMM, highlighting its capacity to accurately reproduce the diversity of the colonic microbiota and the metabolites in individual human donors. Various applications of the KUHIMM have been presented, ranging from the assessment of dietary fibers and probiotics to drugs and herbal medicines. The ability of the model to predict health effects and its sensitivity in evaluating different drugs make it a valuable tool for research and development. This study acknowledges its limitations, including the absence of an absorption system for metabolites, but anticipates the increasing importance of in vitro gut microbiota culture systems in advancing the understanding of human health and expediting the development of effective interventions.
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