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Bioactive Polysaccharides and Gut Microbiota

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A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Carbohydrates".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 March 2024) | Viewed by 16566

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Prof. Dr. Wen Huang

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Guest Editor

College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Interests: polysaccharides; triterpenes; immunoregulation; fungi; edible mushrooms
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Ying Liu

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Guest Editor

College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Interests: fungi; edible mushrooms; mycelial fermentation; biosynthesis; multiomics; functional food
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human gut barrier can resist the invasion of pathogenic bacteria, and provide important protection, and the changes of the gut microbiota significantly affects the physiological function of the host. Polysaccharides have a beneficial effect on hosts by regulating the gut microbiota, which has become a hot research topic in recent years. Polysaccharides can regulate the gut microbiota composition, repair the gut barrier and improve the intestinal micro environment, promote the secretion of metabolites, and adjust the immune system. The chemical structure and physical properties of polysaccharides influenced their bioactivities and probiotic function. Different materials, extraction, isolation, purification and modification methods can change the structure of polysaccharides, which affected its activity. We focus on the bioactivity of polysaccharides and interactions between polysaccharides and gut microbiota in the special issue.

Prof. Dr. Wen Huang
Dr. Ying Liu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

polysaccharides
gut microbiota
bioactivity
structure
nutrients

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 6147 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Huaier Polysaccharide Alleviates Dextran Sulphate Sodium Salt-Induced Colitis by Inhibiting Inflammation and Oxidative Stress, Maintaining the Intestinal Barrier, and Modulating Gut Microbiota

by Yi-Fei Tang, Wen-Yin Xie, Hong-Yu Wu, Hai-Xiang Guo, Fan-Hao Wei, Wen-Zhi Ren, Wei Gao and Bao Yuan

Nutrients 2024, 16(9), 1368; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16091368 - 30 Apr 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1643

Abstract

The incidence of ulcerative colitis (UC) is increasing annually, and UC has a serious impact on patients’ lives. Polysaccharides have gained attention as potential drug candidates for treating ulcerative colitis (UC) in recent years. Huaier (Trametes robiniophila Murr) is a fungus that has been used clinically for more than 1000 years, and its bioactive polysaccharide components have been reported to possess immunomodulatory effects, antitumour potential, and renoprotective effects. In this study, we aimed to examine the protective effects and mechanisms of Huaier polysaccharide (HP) against UC. Based on the H₂O₂-induced oxidative stress model in HT-29 cells and the dextran sulphate sodium salt (DSS)-induced UC model, we demonstrated that Huaier polysaccharides significantly alleviated DSS-induced colitis (weight loss, elevated disease activity index (DAI) scores, and colonic shortening). In addition, HP inhibited oxidative stress and inflammation and alleviated DSS-induced intestinal barrier damage. It also significantly promoted the expression of the mucin Muc2. Furthermore, HP reduced the abundance of harmful bacteria Escherichia-Shigella and promoted the abundance of beneficial bacteria Muribaculaceae_unclassified, Anaerotruncus, and Ruminococcaceae_unclassified to regulate the intestinal flora disturbance caused by DSS. Nontargeted metabolomics revealed that HP intervention would modulate metabolism by promoting levels of 3-hydroxybutyric acid, phosphatidylcholine (PC), and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). These results demonstrated that HP had the ability to mitigate DSS-induced UC by suppressing oxidative stress and inflammation, maintaining the intestinal barrier, and modulating the intestinal flora. These findings will expand our knowledge of how HP functions and offer a theoretical foundation for using HP as a potential prebiotic to prevent UC. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Polysaccharides and Gut Microbiota)

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18 pages, 6619 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Antitumor Activity of Carboxymethyl Pachymaran with Different Molecular Weights Based on Immunomodulatory and Gut Microbiota

by Yalin Zhao, Xi Feng, Lijia Zhang, Wen Huang and Ying Liu

Nutrients 2023, 15(21), 4527; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15214527 - 25 Oct 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1336

Abstract

Carboxymethyl pachymaran (CMP) was treated via high-temperature and cellulase hydrolysis to obtain HTCMP, HTEC-24, and HTEC-48. The chemical structure and in vivo antitumor activities of the four types of CMPs were investigated. Compared with CMP (787.9 kDa), the molecular weights of HTCMP, HTEC-24, and HTEC-48 were decreased to 429.8, 129.9, and 68.6 kDa, respectively. The viscosities and particle sizes of the CMPs could also decrease with the decline in the molecular weights. All the CMPs showed antitumor abilities, but HTEC-24 exhibited the best activity. In the animal study, when curing the spleen and thymus, CMPs displayed immunomodulatory effects by increasing the secretion of IFN-γ and IL2 in mice. The CMPs also exerted an antitumor ability by regulating the gut microbiota in tumor-bearing mice. Our results established a foundation to develop an antitumor drug with CMP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Polysaccharides and Gut Microbiota)

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22 pages, 7296 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gastrointestinal Fermentable Polysaccharide Is Beneficial in Alleviating Loperamide-Induced Constipation in Mice

by Buyu Liu, Zhiguo Zhang, Xingquan Liu, Weiwei Hu and Weicheng Wu

Nutrients 2023, 15(20), 4364; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15204364 - 13 Oct 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1537

Abstract

To investigate the role of gastrointestinal (GI) polysaccharide fermentation in alleviating constipation, two polysaccharide fractions were isolated from a soluble fiber extract with determined anti-constipation activity: a 2.04 kDa neutral fraction (SSP-1) contained 99.29% glucose, and a 41.66 kDa acidic fraction (SSP-2) contained 63.85% uronic acid. After mice were given loperamide for 14 d to induce constipation, the GI transit rate increased significantly in the SSP-1 group (p < 0.05) but not in the SSP-2 group. The stool weight in the SSP-2 group was significantly higher than that in SSP-1 (383.60 mg vs. 226.23 mg) (p < 0.05). Both SSP-1 and SSP-2 groups had significantly increased serum gastrin and motilin levels (p < 0.05) and changes in their fecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) profiles, while SSP-1 showed better fermentation properties than SSP-2 in terms of statistically higher fecal contents of acetic acid and total SCFAs (p < 0.05). Bioinformatic analysis indicated that SSP-1 upregulated bacteria such as Oscillibacter to improve SCFA metabolism and stimulate GI hormone secretion, while SSP-2 had less influence on the gut microbiota. These results suggest that the neutral polysaccharide with superior GI fermentation properties exerted beneficial effects on constipation, while the less fermentable pectic fraction might act as a stool-bulking agent. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Polysaccharides and Gut Microbiota)

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24 pages, 9570 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Polysaccharide from Smilax glabra Roxb Mitigates Intestinal Mucosal Damage by Therapeutically Restoring the Interactions between Gut Microbiota and Innate Immune Functions

by Muhammad Abaidullah, Shaokai La, Mengqi Liu, Boshuai Liu, Yalei Cui, Zhichang Wang, Hao Sun, Sen Ma and Yinghua Shi

Nutrients 2023, 15(19), 4102; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15194102 - 22 Sep 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1810

Abstract

Smilax glabra Roxb (S. glabra) is a conventional Chinese medicine that is mainly used for the reliability of inflammation. However, bioactive polysaccharides from S. glabra (SGPs) have not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that SGPs preserve the integrity of the gut epithelial layer and protect against intestinal mucosal injury induced by dextran sulfate sodium. Mechanistically, SGPs mitigated colonic mucosal injury by restoring the association between the gut flora and innate immune functions. In particular, SGPs increased the number of goblet cells, reduced the proportion of apoptotic cells, improved the differentiation of gut tight junction proteins, and enhanced mucin production in the gut epithelial layer. Moreover, SGPs endorsed the propagation of probiotic bacteria, including Lachnospiraceae bacterium, which strongly correlated with decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines via the blocking of the TLR-4 NF-κB and MyD88 pathways. Overall, our study establishes a novel use of SGPs for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-associated mucosal injury and provides a basis for understanding the therapeutic effects of natural polysaccharides from the perspective of symbiotic associations between host innate immune mechanisms and the gut microbiome. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Polysaccharides and Gut Microbiota)

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18 pages, 4283 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Potent Intestinal Mucosal Barrier Enhancement of Nostoc commune Vaucher Polysaccharide Supplementation Ameliorates Acute Ulcerative Colitis in Mice Mediated by Gut Microbiota

by Min Guo, Dehai Xing, Jin Wang, Ying Zhang, Zhuoyu Li and Xiangying Jiao

Nutrients 2023, 15(13), 3054; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15133054 - 6 Jul 2023

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2483

Abstract

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is evolving into a global burden with a substantially increasing incidence in developing countries. It is characterized by inflammation confined to mucosa and is recognized as an intestinal barrier disease. The intestinal microbiota plays a crucial role in UC pathogenesis. N. commune has long been appreciated as a healthy food and supplement worldwide and polysaccharides account for 60%. Here, we examined the amelioration of N. commune polysaccharides against acute colitis in mice induced by DSS and assessed the mediating role of gut microbiota. An integrated analysis of microbiome, metabolomics, and transcriptomics fully elaborated it markedly enhanced intestinal mucosal barrier function, including: increasing the relative abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila, uncultured_bacterium_g__norank_f__Muribaculaceae, and unclassified_g__norank_f__norank_o__Clostridia_UCG-014; decreasing microbiota-derived phosphatidylcholines and thromboxane 2 levels mapped to arachidonic acid metabolism; improving mucin2 biosynthesis and secretion; enhancing ZO-1 and occludin expression; reducing neutrophil infiltration; regulating the level of colitis-related inflammatory cytokines; involving inflammation and immune function-associated signaling pathways. Further, the mediation effect of gut microbiota was evaluated by administering a cocktail of antibiotics. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that N. commune polysaccharides predominantly reinforced the gut microbiota-mediated intestinal mucosal barrier to confer protection against UC and exhibited dramatic prebiotic-like functions, providing an alternative or complementary treatment for UC. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Polysaccharides and Gut Microbiota)

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16 pages, 3425 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Carrot RG-I Reduces Interindividual Differences between 24 Adults through Consistent Effects on Gut Microbiota Composition and Function Ex Vivo

by Pieter Van den Abbeele, Stef Deyaert, Ruud Albers, Aurélien Baudot and Annick Mercenier

Nutrients 2023, 15(9), 2090; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15092090 - 26 Apr 2023

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3932

Abstract

The human gut microbiota is characterized by large interpersonal differences, which are not only linked to health and disease but also determine the outcome of nutritional interventions. In line with the growing interest for developing targeted gut microbiota modulators, the selectivity of a carrot-derived rhamnogalacturonan I (cRG-I) was compared to substrates with demonstrated low (inulin, IN) and high selectivity (xanthan, XA), at a human equivalent dose (HED) of 1.5 g/d. The high throughput of the ex vivo SIFR^® technology, validated to generate predictive insights for clinical findings, enabled the inclusion of 24 human adults. Such an unprecedented high number of samples in the context of in vitro gut microbiota modelling allowed a coverage of clinically relevant interpersonal differences in gut microbiota composition and function. A key finding was that cRG-I supplementation (already at an HED of 0.3 g/d) lowered interpersonal compositional differences due to the selective stimulation of taxa that were consistently present among human adults, including OTUs related to Bacteroides dorei/vulgatus and Bifidobacterium longum (suspected keystone species), Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Bifidobacterium adolescentis and butyrate-producing taxa such as Blautia sp., Anaerobutyricum hallii, and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. In contrast, both IN and XA treatments increased interpersonal compositional differences. For IN, this followed from its low specificity. For XA, it was rather the extremely high selectivity of XA fermentation that caused large differences between 15 responders and 9 nonresponders, caused by the presence/absence of highly specific XA-fermenting taxa. While all test compounds significantly enhanced acetate, propionate, butyrate, and gas production, cRG-I resulted in a significantly higher acetate (+40%), propionate (+22%), yet a lower gas production (–44%) compared to IN. cRG-I could thus result in overall more robust beneficial effects, while also being better tolerated. Moreover, owing to its remarkable homogenization effect on microbial composition and metabolite production, cRG-I could lead to more predictable outcomes compared to substrates that are less specific or overly specific. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Polysaccharides and Gut Microbiota)

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11 pages, 4024 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Isolation of Alginate-Degrading Bacteria from the Human Gut Microbiota and Discovery of Bacteroides xylanisolvens AY11-1 as a Novel Anti-Colitis Probiotic Bacterium

by Tianyu Fu, Yamin Wang, Mingfeng Ma, Wei Dai, Lin Pan, Qingsen Shang and Guangli Yu

Nutrients 2023, 15(6), 1352; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15061352 - 10 Mar 2023

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2761

Abstract

Alginate has been documented to prevent the development and progression of ulcerative colitis by modulating the gut microbiota. However, the bacterium that may mediate the anti-colitis effect of alginate has not been fully characterized. We hypothesized that alginate-degrading bacteria might play a role here since these bacteria could utilize alginate as a carbon source. To test this hypothesis, we isolated 296 strains of alginate-degrading bacteria from the human gut. Bacteroides xylanisolvens AY11-1 was observed to have the best capability for alginate degradation. The degradation and fermentation of alginate by B. xylanisolvens AY11-1 produced significant amounts of oligosaccharides and short-chain fatty acids. Further studies indicated that B. xylanisolvens AY11-1 could alleviate body weight loss and contraction of colon length, reduce the incidences of bleeding and attenuate mucosal damage in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-fed mice. Mechanistically, B. xylanisolvens AY11-1 improved gut dysbiosis and promoted the growth of probiotic bacteria, including Blautia spp. And Prevotellaceae UCG-001, in diseased mice. Additionally, B. xylanisolvens AY11-1 showed no oral toxicity and was well-tolerated in male and female mice. Altogether, we illustrate for the first time an anti-colitis effect of the alginate-degrading bacterium B. xylanisolvens AY11-1. Our study paves the way for the development of B. xylanisolvens AY11-1 as a next-generation probiotic bacterium. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Polysaccharides and Gut Microbiota)

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