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14 pages, 2908 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In Vitro Fermentation of Polysaccharide from Edible Alga Enteromorpha clathrata by the Gut Microbiota of Patients with Ulcerative Colitis

by Mingfeng Ma, Min Quan, Jiaxue Zhang, Aijun Zhang, Puyue Gao, Qingsen Shang and Guangli Yu

Nutrients 2023, 15(19), 4122; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15194122 - 24 Sep 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2525

Abstract

Dietary intake of the sulfated polysaccharide from edible alga E. clathrata (ECP) has recently been illustrated to attenuate ulcerative colitis (UC) by targeting gut dysbiosis in mice. However, ECP is not easily absorbed in the gut and, as a potential candidate for next-generation prebiotics development, how it is fermented by human gut microbiota has not been characterized. Here, using in vitro anaerobic fermentation and 16S high-throughput sequencing, we illustrate for the first time the detailed fermentation characteristics of ECP by the gut microbiota of nine UC patients. Our results indicated that, compared to that of glucose, fermentation of ECP by human gut microbiota produced a higher amount of anti-inflammatory acetate and a lower amount of pro-inflammatory lactate. Additionally, ECP fermentation helped to shape a more balanced microbiota composition with increased species richness and diversity. Moreover, ECP significantly stimulated the growth of anti-colitis bacteria in the human gut, including Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Bacteroides ovatus, Blautia spp., Bacteroides uniformis, and Parabacteroides spp. Altogether, our study provides the first evidence for the prebiotic effect of ECP on human gut microbiota and sheds new light on the development of ECP as a novel prebiotic candidate for the prevention and potential treatment of UC. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prebiotics, Probiotics, and Gut Microbiota with Chronic Disease)

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11 pages, 6884 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Polysaccharide from Edible Alga Enteromorpha clathrata Improves Ulcerative Colitis in Association with Increased Abundance of Parabacteroides spp. in the Gut Microbiota of Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Fed Mice

by Mingfeng Ma, Tianyu Fu, Yamin Wang, Aijun Zhang, Puyue Gao, Qingsen Shang and Guangli Yu

Mar. Drugs 2022, 20(12), 764; https://doi.org/10.3390/md20120764 - 4 Dec 2022

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3088

Abstract

Polysaccharide from the edible alga Enteromorpha clathrata has been demonstrated to exert beneficial effects on human health. However, what effect it has on inflammatory bowel diseases has not been investigated. Here, using a mouse model of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis, we illustrate that Enteromorpha clathrata polysaccharide (ECP) could alleviate body weight loss, reduce incidences of colonic bleeding, improve stool consistency and ameliorate mucosal damage in diseased mice. 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic analysis indicated that ECP significantly changed the structure of the gut microbiota and increased the abundance of Parabacteroides spp. in DSS-fed mice. In vitro fermentation studies further confirmed that ECP could promote the growth of Parabacteroides distasonis F1-28, a next-generation probiotic bacterium isolated from the human gut, and increase its production of short-chain fatty acids. Additionally, Parabacteroides distasonis F1-28 was also found to have anti-ulcerative colitis effects in DSS-fed mice. Altogether, our study demonstrates for the first time a beneficial effect of ECP on ulcerative colitis and provides a possible basis for understanding its therapeutic mechanisms from the perspective of symbiotic gut bacteria Parabacteroides distasonis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Collection Marine Polysaccharides)

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10 pages, 2472 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dietary Polysaccharide from Enteromorpha clathrata Attenuates Obesity and Increases the Intestinal Abundance of Butyrate-Producing Bacterium, Eubacterium xylanophilum, in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

by Jiali Wei, Yiran Zhao, Chen Zhou, Qing Zhao, Hongqian Zhong, Xinyu Zhu, Tianyu Fu, Lin Pan, Qingsen Shang and Guangli Yu

Polymers 2021, 13(19), 3286; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13193286 - 26 Sep 2021

Cited by 53 | Viewed by 3638

Abstract

Previous studies have suggested that polysaccharide from Enteromorpha clathrata (ECP) could be used as a potential prebiotic to treat dysbiosis-associated diseases. However, whether it has any therapeutic effects on obesity has not been investigated. In the present study, we explored the anti-obesity effect of ECP and illustrated that it can significantly reduce the body weight and decrease the serum levels of triacylglycerol and cholesterol in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed mice. As revealed by 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic analysis, HFD remarkably changed the composition of the gut microbiota and promoted the growth of opportunistic pathogens such as Mucispirillum, Desulfobacterota and Alphaproteobacteria in obese mice. Interestingly, ECP improved intestinal dysbiosis caused by HFD and reshaped the structure of the gut microbiota in diseased mice by increasing the abundance of butyrate-producing bacterium, Eubacterium xylanophilum, in the gut. Altogether, we demonstrate for the first time an anti-obesity effect of ECP and shed new light into its therapeutic mechanisms from the perspective of gut microbiota. Our study will pave the way for the development of ECP as new prebiotic for the treatment of obesity and its associated disorders. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polysaccharides: Structure, Properties, and Applications)

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15 pages, 1969 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dietary Polysaccharide from Enteromorpha Clathrata Modulates Gut Microbiota and Promotes the Growth of Akkermansia muciniphila, Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp.

by Qingsen Shang, Ya Wang, Lin Pan, Qingfeng Niu, Chao Li, Hao Jiang, Chao Cai, Jiejie Hao, Guoyun Li and Guangli Yu

Mar. Drugs 2018, 16(5), 167; https://doi.org/10.3390/md16050167 - 17 May 2018

Cited by 72 | Viewed by 8240

Abstract

Recently, accumulating evidence has suggested that Enteromorpha clathrata polysaccharide (ECP) could contribute to the treatment of diseases. However, as a promising candidate for marine drug development, although ECP has been extensively studied, less consideration has been given to exploring its effect on gut microbiota. In this light, given the critical role of gut microbiota in health and disease, we investigated here the effect of ECP on gut microbiota using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. As revealed by bioinformatic analyses, ECP considerably changed the structure of the gut microbiota and significantly promoted the growth of probiotic bacteria in C57BL/6J mice. However, interestingly, ECP exerted different effects on male and female microbiota. In females, ECP increased the abundances of Bifidobacterium spp. and Akkermansia muciniphila, a next-generation probiotic bacterium, whereas in males, ECP increased the population of Lactobacillus spp. Moreover, by shaping a more balanced structure of the microbiota, ECP remarkably reduced the antigen load from the gut in females. Altogether, our study demonstrates for the first time a prebiotic effect of ECP on gut microbiota and forms the basis for the development of ECP as a novel gut microbiota modulator for health promotion and disease management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Collection Marine Polysaccharides)

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