Gut microbiome-based thiamine metabolism contributes to the protective effect of one acidic polysaccharide from Selaginella uncinata (Desv.) Spring against inflammatory bowel disease

Cutting-Edge Advancements in the Antibiotics-Gut Microbiota-Urinary Tumour Axis

Gut microbiota regulates urological tumors. Antibiotics induce dysbiosis, altering tumor progression/therapy: reducing carcinogen metabolism but impairing immunity. Specific bacteria enhance immune responses and combat endocrine resistance. Future research should unravel microbiota-cancer links and develop microbiome-targeted therapies to optimize outcomes while preserving diversity.

Acidic polysaccharide from Ganoderma tsugae: Structural characterization and antiatherosclerotic related to macrophage polarization

Herein, a water-soluble Ganoderma tsugae acidic polysaccharide (GTP-2) was isolated and purified from the fruiting bodies of G. tsugae. GTP-2 has a molecular weight of 13.059 kDa, composed of →3)-β-d-Glcp-(1 → 3)-β-d-Glcp-(1 → 4)-GlcpUA-(1 → 4)-β-d-Glcp-1→ glucan backbone and branches ending with β-d-Glcp-(1 → 6)-β-d-Glcp-(1→, which is attached at C6 of →3,6)-β-d-Glcp-(1→. Subsequently, the antiatherosclerotic activity of GTP-2 was examined in apolipoprotein E deficient (ApoE-/-) mice fed with high-fat diet, and its potential mechanism of action was investigated. GTP-2 ameliorated blood lipid levels (total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein), while improving the serum levels of high-density lipoprotein. Furthermore, GTP-2 alleviated the atherosclerotic lesions and reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines. Analysis of the gut microbiota revealed that GTP-2 enhanced the abundance of beneficial bacteria (Lactobacillu and Akkermansia). The serum metabolite composition was further altered, with a significant reduction in octadecanoic acid level. GTP-2 regulated the nuclear factor kappa-B signaling pathway by inhibiting macrophage polarization to M1 phenotype. Collectively, these findings support the potential use of GTP-2 as an antiatherosclerotic therapy.

Effects of drinking water supplemented with essential oils and organic acids mixtures on growth performance and intestinal health of broilers challenged with necrotic enteritis

It is urgent to develop effective antibiotic alternatives for the control of subclinical necrotic enteritis (NE) in chickens after in-feed antibiotics have been banned. The current study investigated the efficacy of drinking water supplemented with essential oils and organic acids mixtures (EOA) on growth performance and intestinal health of broilers challenged with necrotic enteritis (NE). A total of 360 one-day-old Arbor Acres male broilers were randomly divided into 5 treatment groups, including non-challenged control group (T0), challenged NE group (T1), and challenged NE chickens treated with 0.2 % EOA1 (T2) or 0.2 % EOA2 (T3) in drinking water, along with NE-challenged chickens treated with 45 mg/kg bacitracin methylene disalicylate (BMD) in the diet (T4). Results showed that drinking water supplemented with either EOA1 or EOA2 significantly decreased Clostridium perfringens load in ileal content (P < 0.05). EOA2 markedly reduced jejunal crypt depth, serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS) content, ileal IL-1β mRNA level and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, significantly increased Mucin-2 mRNA abundance in ileum of NE infected broilers (P < 0.05) when compared with single NE-infected group. The 16S sequencing analysis revealed that, compared with single NE-challenge group and the antibiotic BMD group, the addition of EOA1 in drinking water significantly increased the Shannon index and Simpson index of ileal microbiota in NE-infected broilers (P < 0.05), while drinking water supplemented with either EOA1 or EOA2 significantly decreased Streptococcus relative abundance of NE-infected broilers (P < 0.05). In summary, drinking water with EOA2 might alleviate the intestinal injury induced by NE challenge, and the gut health-improving effects of EOA2 were better than that of EOA1.

Effects of traditional Chinese medicine polysaccharides on chronic diseases by modulating gut microbiota: A review

Intestinal tract is the largest immune system of human body. Gut microbiota (GM) can produce a large number of metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids and bile acids, which regulate the physiological health of the host and affect the development of disease. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) polysaccharides have attracted extensive attention with multiple biological activities and low toxicity. TCM polysaccharides can promote the growth of intestinal beneficial bacteria and inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria by regulating the structure and function of GM, thus playing a crucial role in preventing or treating chronic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), liver diseases, cancer, etc. In this paper, the research progress of TCM polysaccharides in the treatment of chronic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, T2DM, liver diseases, cancer, etc. by modulating GM was reviewed. Meanwhile, this review makes an in-depth discussion on the shortcomings of the research of TCM polysaccharides on chronic diseases by modulating GM, and new valuable prospection for the future researches of TCM polysaccharides are proposed, which will provide new ideas for the further study of TCM polysaccharides.

Antioxidant Therapy in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: How Far Have We Come and How Close Are We?

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) pose a growing public health challenge with unclear etiology and limited efficacy of traditional pharmacological treatments. Alternative therapies, particularly antioxidants, have gained scientific interest. This systematic review analyzed studies from MEDLINE, Cochrane, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Scopus using keywords like "Inflammatory Bowel Diseases" and "Antioxidants." Initially, 925 publications were identified, and after applying inclusion/exclusion criteria-covering studies from July 2015 to June 2024 using murine models or clinical trials in humans and evaluating natural or synthetic substances affecting oxidative stress markers-368 articles were included. This comprised 344 animal studies and 24 human studies. The most investigated antioxidants were polyphenols and active compounds from medicinal plants (n = 242; 70.3%). The review found a strong link between oxidative stress and inflammation in IBD, especially in studies on nuclear factor kappa B and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 pathways. However, it remains unclear whether inflammation or oxidative stress occurs first in IBD. Lipid peroxidation was the most studied oxidative damage, followed by DNA damage. Protein damage was rarely investigated. The relationship between antioxidants and the gut microbiota was examined in 103 animal studies. Human studies evaluating oxidative stress markers were scarce, reflecting a major research gap in IBD treatment. PROSPERO registration: CDR42022335357 and CRD42022304540.

Structure and anticoagulant activity of a galactoarabinan sulfate polysaccharide and its oligosaccharide from the green algae, Codium fragile

A polysaccharide, CZS-0-1, was obtained from the marine green algae Codium fragile using ion-exchange and size-exclusion chromatography. Composition and characteristics analyses showed CZS-0-1 was a sulfated galactoarabinan consisting of arabinose, galactose and a small amount of glucose in a ratio of 9:2:1 with 21% sulfate content and a molecular weight of 810 kDa. Structural properties were determined using desulfation and methylation analyses combined with instrument analysis. The results showed that the backbone of CZS-0-1 was (1 → 3)-β-L-Arap. Its O-4 and/or O-2 positions showed sulfate modification; additionally, it had 10% of (1 → 3)-β-D-Galp branches at the O-4 position of the (1 → 3)-β-L-Arap. The galactose side chains also had sulfate modification at the O-4 or O-6 position. The structure of CZS-0-1 was further confirmed by Top-down analysis of the oligosaccharides after oxidated hydrolysis by mass spectrometry. CZS-0-1 exhibited significant heparin-like anticoagulant activity. It exerted anticoagulant effects by inhibiting FIIa and FXa activities with the presence of heparin cofactors. The anticoagulant activity of CSZ-0-1 was closely related to the molecular weight, and the reduction of molecular weight may lead to a significant decrease in the anticoagulant activity. This study demonstrated that the green algae, Codium fragile can be considered as a useful resource for bioactive polysaccharides.

Multi-omics analysis reveals that agaro-oligosaccharides with different degrees of polymerization alleviate colitis in mice by regulating intestinal flora and arginine synthesis

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a common chronic disease with a complex etiology, characterized by body weight loss, intestinal barrier damage, and an imbalance of intestinal flora, posing a significant threat to people's health. In this work, we studied whether safer natural active agaro-oligosaccharides (AOSs) benefit mice with IBD and elucidated their underlying mechanisms. The findings indicated that oral administration of agarobiose (A2), agarotriose (A3), and agarotetraose (A4) contributed to alleviating body weight loss and colon shortening, as well as enhancing IL-10 levels while reducing IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α. AOSs improved colon disruption, reduced the number of goblet cells caused by DSS, and enhanced the expression of Muc2, ZO-1, and occludin-1 to repair the intestinal barrier. It is noteworthy that A3 demonstrated superior outcomes in the evaluated AOSs relative to A2 and A4. This was evidenced by an increase in Bacteroidota and reduced Firmicutes at the phylum level, which corrected DSS-induced intestinal dysbiosis and significantly restored disrupted metabolic pathways, including amino acid and lipid metabolism. The differential metabolites between the AOS treatment groups and the model group were mainly enriched in arginine synthesis with co-regulated critical substances N-acetyl-L-citrulline and N2-acetylornithine, which alleviated colitis. This evidence offers a fresh perspective on the potential application of AOSs as functional foods to improve intestinal inflammation and metabolism.

Artificial mucus layer formed in response to ROS for the oral treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

The artificial mucus layer, such as hydrogels, used to repair the damaged intestinal barrier, is a promising treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the currently reported hydrogel-based artificial barriers are administered via rectal injection, causing unnecessary discomfort to patients. Herein, we report an oral hydrogel precursor solution based on thiol-modified hyaluronic acid (HASH). Owing to the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive gelling behavior, our precursor solution formed an artificial mucus coating over the inflamed regions of the intestines, blocking microbial invasion and reducing abnormally activated immune responses. Notably, HASH also modulated the gut microbiota, including increasing the diversity and enhancing the abundance of short-chain fatty acid-associated bacteria, which play a key role in gut homeostasis. We believe that the ROS-responsive artificial mucus layer is a promising strategy for the oral treatment of IBD.

Study on characterization of Bupleurum chinense polysaccharides with antioxidant mechanisms focus on ROS relative signaling pathways and anti-aging evaluation in vivo model

This study explored the structures of three polysaccharides from Bupleurum chinense DC. (BCPRs), and evaluated their antioxidant and anti-aging properties. The HPGPC and ion chromatography analyses revealed that the molecular weights of the BCPRs ranged from 12.05 to 21.20 kDa, and were primarily composed of rhamnose, arabinose, xylose, galactose, glucose and galacturonic acid. Methylation and NMR studies identified 10 PMAAs, establishing the various backbones of BCPRs 1-3. BCPR-3 demonstrated potent antioxidant activities, including DPPH, ABTS, hydroxy, and superoxide radicals scavenging in vitro. At concentrations between 125 and 500 μg/mL, BCPR-3 increased T-AOC, SOD and GSH-Px activities, while decreasing MDA levels in H2O2-induced SH-SY5Y cells. In addition, RNA-seq results indicated that BCPR-3 considerably downregulated the expression of 49 genes and upregulated five genes compared with the control group. KEGG analysis suggested that these differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were predominantly involved in the TNF and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways. Furthermore, in vivo experiment with Drosophila melanogaster showed that BCPR-3 could extend the average lifespan of flies. In conclusion, polysaccharides from B. chinense exhibited potential antioxidant and anti-aging activities, which could be developed as new ingredients to combat oxidative stress damage and slow the aging process.