Granular hydrogels with tunable properties prepared from gum Arabic and protein microgels.

Granular hydrogels have emerged as a new class of materials for 3D printing, tissue engineering, and food applications due to their extrudability, porosity, and modularity. This work introduces a convenient method to prepare granular hydrogel with tunable properties by modulating the interaction between gum Arabic (GA) and whey protein isolate (WPI) microgels. As the concentration of GA increased, the appearance of the hydrogel changed from fluid liquid to moldable solid, and the microstructure changed from a macro-porous structure with thin walls to a dense structure formed by the accumulation of spherical particles. At a GA concentration of 0.5 %, the hydrogels remained fluid. Granular hydrogels containing 1.0 % GA showed mechanical properties similar to those of tofu (compressive strength: 10.8 ± 0.5 kPa, Young's modulus: 16.7 ± 0.4 kPa), while granular hydrogels containing 1.5 % GA showed mechanical properties similar to those of hawthorn sticks and sausages (compressive strength: 300.4 ± 5.8 kPa; Young's modulus: 200.5 ± 3.4 kPa). The hydrogel with 2.0 % GA was similar to hawthorn sticks, with satisfactory bite resistance and elasticity. Such tunability has led to various application potentials in the food industry to meet consumer demand for healthy, nutritious, and diverse textures.

Effects of solid-state fermentation with Aspergillus cristatus (MK346334) on the dynamics changes in the chemical and flavor profile of dark tea by HS-SPME-GC-MS, HS-GC-IMS and electronic nose.

Aspergillus cristatus, the predominant microbe of Fuzhuan brick tea (FBT), is responsible for the creation of distinctive golden flower and unique floral aroma of FBT. The present study examined the alterations in chemical and aromatic components of raw dark tea by solid-state fermentation using A. cristatus (MK346334), the strain isolated from FBT. As results, catechins, total ployphenols, total flavonoids, theaflavins, thearubigins and antioxidant activity were significantly reduced after fermentation. Moreover, 112 and 76 volatile substances were identified by HS-SPME-GC-MS and HS-GC-IMS, respectively, primarily composed of alcohols, ketones, esters and aldehydes. Furthermore, the calculation of odor activity values revealed that 19 volatile chemicals, including hexanal, heptanal, linalool and methyl salicylate, were the main contributors to the floral, fungal, woody and minty aroma of dark tea. The present research highlights the pivotal role played by the fermentation with A. cristatus in the chemical composition, antioxidant property and distinctive flavor of dark tea.

The Utilization by Bacteroides spp. of a Purified Polysaccharide from Fuzhuan Brick Tea.

In the present study, four Bacteroides species that could degrade Fuzhuan brick tea polysaccharide-3 (FBTPS-3) were isolated from human feces and identified to be Bacteroides ovatus, B. uniformis, B. fragilis and B. thetaiotaomicron. The four Bacteroides species showed growth on FBTPS-3 as the carbon source, and B. ovatus showed the best capability for utilizing FBTPS-3 among the four species since B. ovatus could utilize more FBTPS-3 during 24 h fermentation. Moreover, the four Bacteroides species could metabolize FBTPS-3 and promote the production of acetic, propionic and isovaleric acids. Transcriptome analysis of B. ovatus revealed that 602 genes were up-regulated by FBTPS-3, including two carbohydrate-active enzyme clusters and four polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs). The PUL 1 contained GH28 family that could hydrolyze rhamnogalacturonan and other pectic substrates, which was in line with our previous work that rhamnose and galacturonic acid were the main component monosaccharides of FBTPS-3. Collectively, the results suggested that FBTPS-3 could be utilized by Bacteroides spp., and it might be developed as a promising prebiotic targeting Bacteroidetes in intestinal environment.

Characteristics of exopolysaccharides from Paecilomyces hepiali and their simulated digestion and fermentation in vitro by human intestinal microbiota.

The metabolic process of polysaccharides in gastrointestinal digestions and the effects of the resulting carbohydrates on the composition of gut microbes are important to explore their prebiotic properties. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the simulated digestion and fecal fermentation in vitro of three fractions (PHEPSs-1, PHEPSs-2 and PHEPSs-3) purified from the crude exopolysaccharides of Paecilomyces hepiali HN1 (PHEPSs) and to explore the potential prebiotic mechanisms. The three purified fractions were characterized by HPLC, UV, FT-IR, SEM and AFM, and they were all of galactoglucomannan family with molecular weight of 178, 232 and 119 kDa, respectively. They could resist the simulated gastrointestinal digestions, but they were metabolized in fecal fermentation in vitro. Furthermore, the mannose in PHEPSs showed a higher utilization rate than that of glucose or galactose. The proliferation effects of PHEPSs on Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus were weaker significantly than those of fructooligosaccharides before 12 h of fecal fermentation, but stronger after 24 h of fecal fermentation. Meanwhile, higher levels of short-chain fatty acids were found in PHEPSs groups when the fecal fermentation extended to 36 h. Therefore, PHEPSs are expected to have a potent gut healthy activity and can be explored as functional food ingredients.

Microencapsulation as a Protective Strategy for Sialylated Immunoglobulin G: Efficacy in Alleviating Symptoms of Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis in Mice and Potential Mechanisms.

Sialylated immunoglobulin G (IgG) is a vital glycoprotein in breast milk with the ability to promote the growth of Bifidobacterium in gut microbiota and relieve inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) symptoms in vitro. Here, it was found that the microcapsules with sialylated IgG could protect and release sialylated IgG with its structure and function in the intestine. Furthermore, the sialylated IgG microcapsules alleviated the clinical symptoms (body weight, feed quantity, and colon length loss), decreased disease activity index score, suppressed the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß, IFN-γ, and MCP-1) and endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide), and enhanced the intestinal mucosal barrier (Claudin1, Muc2, Occludin, and ZO-1) in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mice. Additionally, the sialylated IgG microcapsules improved the gut microbiota by increasing the relative abundance of critical microbe Bifidobacterium bifidum and promoted the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Correlation analysis indicated that the key microbes were strongly correlated with pro-inflammatory factors, clinical symptoms, tight junction protein, and SCFAs. These findings suggest that the sialylated IgG microcapsules have the potential to be used as a novel therapeutic approach for treating IBD.

Structural and digestive characters of a heteropolysaccharide fraction from tea (Camellia sinensis L.) flower.

Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) flower polysaccharides (TFPS) have various health-promoting functions. In the present work, the structure of a purified TFPS fraction, namely TFPS-1-3p, and its in vitro digestive properties were investigated. The results demonstrated that TFPS-1-3p was a typical heteropolysaccharide consisting of rhamnose (Rha), arabinose (Ara), galactose (Gal) and galacturonic acid (GalA) with a molecular weight of 47.77 kDa. The backbone of TFPS-1-3p contained â†’ 4)-α-d-GalpA(-6-OMe)-(1 â†’ 4)-α-GalpA-(1 â†’ and â†’ 4)-α-d-GalpA(-6-OMe)-(1 â†’ 2,4)-α-l-Rhap-(1 â†’ linkages. The branch linkages in TFPS-1-3p contained â†’ 6)-ß-d-Galp-(1→, →3,6)-ß-d-Galp-(1→, →5)-α-l-Araf-(1 â†’ and â†’ 3,5)-α-l-Araf-(1 â†’. Subsequently, TFPS-1-3p could not be degraded under simulated human gastrointestinal conditions but could be of use to human fecal microbes, thereby lowering the pH and increasing the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) of the gut microenvironment and altering the composition of the gut microbiota. The relative abundance of Fusobacterium_mortiferum Megasphaera_elsdenii_DSM_20460, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Bacteroides plebeius and Collinsella aerofaciens increased significantly, potentially contributing to the degradation of TFPS-1-3p.

The polysaccharides from the fruits of Lycium barbarum ameliorate high-fat and high-fructose diet-induced cognitive impairment via regulating blood glucose and mediating gut microbiota.

High-fat and high-fructose diet (HFFD) consumption can induce cognitive dysfunction and gut microbiota disorder. In the present study, the effects of the polysaccharides from the fruits of Lycium barbarum L. (LBPs) on HFFD-induced cognitive deficits and gut microbiota dysbiosis were investigated. The results showed that intervention of LBPs (200 mg/kg/day) for 14 weeks could significantly prevent learning and memory deficits in HFFD-fed mice, evidenced by a reduction of latency and increment of crossing parameters of platform quadrant in Morris water maze test. Moreover, oral administration of LBPs enhanced the expression of postsynaptic density protein 95 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor and reduced the activation of glial cells in hippocampus. Besides, LBPs treatment enriched the relative abundances of Allobaculum and Lactococcus and reduced the relative abundance of Proteobacteria in gut bacterial community of HFFD-fed mice, accompanied by increased levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) as well as expression of associated G protein-coupled receptors. Furthermore, LBPs intervention prevented insulin resistance, obesity and colonic inflammation. Finally, a significant correlation was observed among neuroinflammation associated parameters, gut microbiota and SCFAs through Pearson correlation analysis. Collectively, these findings suggested that the regulation of gut microbiota might be the potential mechanism of LBPs on preventing cognitive dysfunction induced by HFFD.

Water extract of goji berries improves neuroinflammation induced by a high-fat and high-fructose diet based on the bile acid-mediated gut-brain axis pathway.

The high-fat and high-fructose diet (HFFD) is a common diet in westernized societies, which worsens disturbances in gut microbiota and bile acid (BA) metabolism. Herein, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of the water extract of Lycium barbarum fruits (LBE) on gut microbiota and BA metabolism in mice with HFFD-induced neuroinflammation. The results showed that supplementation of LBE for 14 weeks remarkably ameliorated weight gain and insulin resistance and suppressed microglial activation and neural neuroinflammation induced by HFFD. The results of Morris water maze and Y-maze tests demonstrated that LBE attenuated HFFD-induced cognitive impairment. Moreover, LBE elevated hepatic BA biosynthesis and excretion of BAs and increased elimination of BAs via the feces. Notably, LBE supplementation resulted in the enrichment of tauroursodeoxycholic acid in the cortex and hippocampus. Furthermore, the 16S rDNA sequencing results showed that LBE could modulate the structure of gut microbiota, and in the meantime decrease the relative abundance of Clostridium_XlVa, which is associated with BA homeostasis. Additionally, LBE exerted neuroprotective effects involving the increment of Lactococcus, known as a potentially beneficial bacterium. These results demonstrated that LBE could ameliorate neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment in HFFD-induced mice through the gut-liver-brain axis, which might be due to the regulation of BA homeostasis and gut microbiota in mice.

Inhibitory effect of Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide on oxidative damage of glial cells in aging mice by regulating gut microbiota.

Polysaccharides extracted from Dendrobium officinale have various physiological effects. In this study, we used D-galactose-induced senescent mice as an animal model to investigate the inhibitory effects of Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide (DOP) on oxidative damage in glial cells by attenuating oxidative stress and modulating the gut microbiota. The results showed that DOP significantly alleviated the activation of glial cells, increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes and reduced the MDA content in senescent mice. In addition, DOP reshaped the disordered gut microbiota, decreased the abundance ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes and increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria Lactobacillus. DOP may reverse the gut microbiota disturbance and alleviate the oxidative damage of glial cells, therefore exert potential neuroprotective effects by modulating gut microbiota.

The polysaccharides from Auricularia auricula alleviate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease via modulating gut microbiota and bile acids metabolism.

The polysaccharides from Auricularia auricula (AAPs), containing a large number of O-acetyl groups that are related to the physiological and biological properties, seem to be potential prebiotics like other edible fungus polysaccharides. In the present study, therefore, the alleviating effects of AAPs and deacetylated AAPs (DAAPs, prepared from AAPs by alkaline treatment) on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced by high-fat and high-cholesterol diet combined with carbon tetrachloride were investigated. The results revealed that both AAPs and DAAPs could effectively relieve liver injury, inflammation and fibrosis, and maintain intestinal barrier function. Both AAPs and DAAPs could modulate the disorder of gut microbiota and altered the composition of gut microbiota with enrichment of Odoribacter, Lactobacillus, Dorea and Bifidobacterium. Further, the alteration of gut microbiota, especially enhancement of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, was contributed to the changes of bile acids (BAs) profile with increased deoxycholic acid (DCA). Farnesoid X receptor could be activated by DCA and other unconjugated BAs, which participated the BAs metabolism and alleviated the cholestasis, then protected against hepatitis in NAFLD mice. Interestingly, it was found that the deacetylation of AAPs negatively affected the anti-inflammation, thereby reducing the health benefits of A. auricula-derived polysaccharides.

Lonicera japonica polysaccharides alleviate D-galactose-induced oxidative stress and restore gut microbiota in ICR mice.

Lonicera japonica polysaccharides (LJPs) exhibit anti-aging effect in nematodes. Here, we further studied the function of LJPs on aging-related disorders in D-galactose (D-gal)-induced ICR mice. Four groups of mice including the control group, the D-gal-treated group, the intervening groups with low and high dose of LJPs (50 and 100 mg/kg/day) were raised for 8 weeks. The results showed that intragastric administration with LJPs improved the organ indexes of D-gal-treated mice. Moreover, LJPs improved the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) as well as glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and decreased the malondialdehyde (MDA) level in serum, liver and brain. Meanwhile, LJPs restored the content of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the brain. Further, LJPs reversed the liver tissue damages in aging mice. Mechanistically, LJPs alleviate oxidative stress at least partially through regulating Nrf2 signaling. Additionally, LJPs restored the gut microbiota composition of D-gal-treated mice by adjusting the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio at the phylum level and upregulating the relative abundances of Lactobacillaceae and Bifidobacteriacesa. Notably, the KEGG pathways involved in hazardous substances degradation and flavone and flavonol biosynthesis were significantly enhanced by LJPs treatment. Overall, our study uncovers the role of LJPs in modulating oxidative stress and gut microbiota in the D-gal-induced aging mice.

A purified fraction of polysaccharides from the fruits of Lycium barbarum L. improves glucose homeostasis and intestinal barrier function in high-fat diet-fed mice.

High-fat diet (HFD) consumption can induce intestinal barrier dysfunction and disrupt glucose metabolism. Our previous studies have demonstrated that polysaccharides obtained from the fruits of Lycium barbarum L. (LBPs) could suppress acute experimental diabetes as well as colitis in mice. In the present study, the modulating effects of a purified fraction of LBPs, named LBPs-4, on glucose homeostasis and intestinal barrier function in mice fed with a HFD were investigated. Our results indicated that the oral administration of LBP-4 (200 mg per kg per day) improved hyperglycemia, glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and islet ß-cell hyperplasia in HFD-fed mice. Moreover, LBPs-4 intervention enhanced the intestinal barrier integrity by increasing the expression levels of zonula occludens 1 and claudin-1 and the number of goblet cells in the colon. LBPs-4 also modulated the composition of gut microbiota by increasing the relative abundances of butyrate producer Allobaculum and acetate producer Romboutsia. The results of fecal transplantation experiments, transferring of microbiota from LBPs-4-fed donor mice to HFD-fed recipient mice, validated the cause-effect relationship between LBPs-4-evoked changes in the gut microbiota and improvement of glucose homeostasis and intestinal barrier function. Collectively, these findings suggested that LBPs-4 might be developed as promising prebiotics to improve glucose metabolism and gut health.

Intracellular Polysaccharides of Aspergillus cristatus from Fuzhuan Brick Tea Leverage the Gut Microbiota and Repair the Intestinal Barrier to Ameliorate DSS-Induced Colitis in Mice.

The intracellular polysaccharides of Aspergillus cristatus (IPSs) from Fuzhuan brick tea have been demonstrated to improve immune function linked to modulating the gut microbiota. Herein, to further investigate the efficacy of IPSs to maintain gut homeostasis, the protection of the purified fraction of IPSs (IPSs-2) on the mice with colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) and the underlying mechanisms were explored in this study. The results revealed that IPSs-2 alleviated the typical symptoms of colitis and suppressed the excessive inflammatory mediators, regulating the genes related to inflammatory responses in the colon at the mRNA level. Meanwhile, IPSs-2 treatment reinforced the intestinal barrier function by ameliorating the DSS-induced histological injury, facilitating the differentiation of goblet cells to enhance Mucin-2 generation, and enhancing the expression of tight junction proteins to alleviate colitis. In addition, IPSs protected against colitis by promoting the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the activation of SCFAs receptors, and the leverage of the gut microbiota via the enrichment of Bacteroides, Parabacteroides, Faecalibacterium, Flavonifractor_plautii, and Butyricicoccus, linking with reducing inflammation and repairing intestinal barrier function. Overall, our research revealed the therapeutic potential of IPSs-2 as a prebiotic for attenuating inflammatory bowel disease and provided a rationale for future investigation.

Effect of Dendrobium officinale polysaccharides on central nervous system disease: Based on gut microbiota.

Dendrobium officinale has anti-inflammatory effects and is one of the well-known functional foods. Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide (DOP) can reduce intestinal barrier disruption and excessive inflammatory response by regulating intestinal bacterial homeostasis as well as short-chain fatty acid levels. It can also inhibit the activation of astrocytes and microglia, further realizing the protective effect on neuronal apoptosis and apoptosis, thus exerting a significant alleviating effect on neurological diseases. There is now evidence that bidirectional communication between the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract may influence human neurology, cognition and behavior via the gut-brain axis. In this review, we review the structural characterization, bioactivity and possible bioactive mechanisms of DOP, so as to elucidate the advantages of DOP's action on CNS diseases, with the aim of providing new perspectives for its drug and functional food development as well as clinical applications.

Anthocyanins from Lycium ruthenicum Murray Ameliorated High-Fructose Diet-Induced Neuroinflammation through the Promotion of the Integrity of the Intestinal Barrier and the Proliferation of Lactobacillus.

In the present study, we found that anthocyanins from Lycium ruthenicum Murray (ACN) potently ameliorated a high-fructose diet (HFrD)-induced neuroinflammation in mice. ACN improved the integrity of the intestinal barrier and suppressed the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway to ameliorate the neuroinflammation, which was verified by Tlr4-/- mice. Furthermore, ACN could modulate the HFrD-induced dysbiosis of gut microbiota. The fecal microbiota transplantation from ACN-induced mice was sufficient to attenuate the neuroinflammation, while the amelioration of neuroinflammation by ACN was blocked upon gut microbiota depletion. In addition, ACN-induced increment of the relative abundance of Lactobacillus might be responsible for the alleviation of the neuroinflammation, which was further confirmed in the promoting effect of ACN on the growth of Lactobacillus in vitro. Overall, these results provided the evidence of a comprehensive cross-talk mechanism between ACN and neuroinflammation in HFrD-fed mice, which was mediated by reducing gut microbiota dysbiosis and maintaining the intestinal barrier integrity.

Physicochemical Characterizations, Digestibility, and Lipolysis Inhibitory Effects of Highland Barley Resistant Starches Prepared by Physical and Enzymatic Methods.

This study aimed to investigate the differences in the physicochemical and structural characteristics, digestibility, and lipolysis inhibitory potential in vitro of highland barley resistant starches (HBRSs) prepared by autoclaving (HBSA), microwave-assisted autoclaving (HBSM), isoamylase (HBSI) and pullulanase (HBSP) debranching modifications. Results revealed that the resistant starch content of native starch was significantly elevated after modifications. HBSA and HBSM showed distinctly higher swelling power and water-binding capacities along with lower amylose amounts and solubilities than those of HBSI and HBSP (p < 0.05). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction exhibited that HBSP displayed the highest degree of the ordered crystalline region and crystallinity with a mixture of CB- and V-type polymorphs. Meanwhile, HBSA and HBSM were characterized by their high degree of the amorphous region with a mixture of B- and V-type polymorphs. Physical and enzymatic modifications resulted in different functionalities of HBRSs, among which HBSP showed the lowest digestibility and HBSM exhibited the highest inhibitory activity on lipolysis due to their structure and structure-based morphology and particle size. This study provided significant insights into the development of native starch from highland barley as an alternative functional food.

A critical review of Fuzhuan brick tea: processing, chemical constituents, health benefits and potential risk.

Fuzhuan brick tea (FBT) is a traditional popular beverage in the border regions of China. Nowadays, FBT has been attracted great attention due to its uniquely flavor and various health-promoting functions. An increasing number of efforts have been devoted to the studies on health benefits and chemistry of FBT over the last decades. However, FBT was still received much less attention than green tea, oolong tea and black tea. Therefore, it is necessary to review the current encouraging findings about processing, microorganisms, chemical constituents, health benefits and potential risk of FBT. The fungus fermentation is the key stage for processing of FBT, which is involved in a complex and unique microbial fermentation process. The fungal community in FBT is mainly dominated by "golden flower" fungi, which is identified as Aspergillus cristatus. A great diversity of novel compounds is formed and identified after a series of biochemical reactions during the fermentation process of FBT. FBT shows various biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, anti-bacterial, and anti-tumor activities. Furthermore, the potential risk of FBT was also discussed. It is expected that this review could be useful for stimulating further research of FBT.

A new natural drying method for food packaging and preservation using biopolymer-based dehydration film.

A new method for the drying of beef and chicken meats at low temperatures (4 °C) was developed by using a composite film based on sodium carboxymethyl cellulose-gum Arabic (SG) with anthocyanins from Cinnamomum camphora fruit peel (ANC.P, 0, 1, 1.5 and 2%). After incorporation of ANC.P into SG, the physicochemical properties, morphological characteristics, melting, molecular, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the resulting dehydration films were improved. Film-dried beef and chicken slices showed higher values of dehydration ratio on day 6 (54.58% and 72.06%, respectively) compared with the control samples without film (4.55% and 7.04%, respectively). Results showed that SG-ANC.P film-dried meats exhibited more stable pH and color, higher rehydration rate, better sensory quality and microbial growth inhibition compared with SG film-dried samples and control samples, in which control samples showed the highest total viable count values (6.02 and 5.16 log CFU/mL for beef and chicken, respectively) during storage.

Lonicera japonica polysaccharides improve longevity and fitness of Caenorhabditis elegans by activating DAF-16.

Polysaccharide is one of the main active ingredients in Lonicera japonica Thunb. (L. japonica). In this study, we examined the anti-aging activities of L.japonica polysaccharides (LJPs) and further explored the mechanisms. Polysaccharides from L.japonica including the crude LJP (CLJP) and the purified fraction (LJP-2-1) were characterized. The molecular weights of CLJP and LJP-2-1 were 1450 kDa and 1280 kDa, respectively. Meanwhile, CLJP was mainly composed of galacturonic acid (23.57 %), galactose (23.45 %) and arabinose (23.45 %). LJP-2-1 was mainly composed of galacturonic acid (51.25 %) and arabinose (22.89 %). In Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), LJPs maximally prolonged mean lifespan by 13.97 %, promoted fitness with increased motility by 40.92 % and pharyngeal pumping by 25.72 %, and decreased lipofuscin accumulation by 38.9 % with intact body length and fecundity. Moreover, CLJP extended the mean lifespan of nematodes under oxidative and heat stress by 16.76 % and 14.05 % respectively by activating stress-related genes and the antioxidant system. Further, CLJP required DAF-16 to prolong the lifespan of nematodes. CLJP upregulated the expression of daf-16 and its targeted downstream genes, including sod-3, gst-4 and hsp-16.2. Moreover, nuclear accumulation of DAF-16 was promoted upon CLJP treatment. Together, our data uncover the role of LJPs in extending lifespan and healthspan through DAF-16.

Modulating effects of Hericium erinaceus polysaccharides on the immune response by regulating gut microbiota in cyclophosphamide-treated mice.

BACKGROUND: The gut microbiota (GM) is recognized as a significant contributor to the immune system. In the present study, the effects of Hericium erinaceus polysaccharides (HEP) on immunoregulation and GM in cyclophosphamide (CTX)-treated mice were investigated to elucidate the attenuate of immunosuppression by modulating GM. RESULTS: The results revealed that HEP significantly improved the body weight and immune organ index in immunodeficient mice (P < 0.05). They significantly increased operational taxonomic units (OTUs) (P < 0.05), adjusted the α and ß diversity of the GM, and the bacterial community structure was more similar to that of control group. Taxonomic composition analysis found that HEP increased the abundance of Alistipse, uncultured_bacterium_f_Muribaculaceae, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, uncultured_bacterium_f_Lachnospiracea, uncultured_bacterium_f_Ruminococcaceae and Ruminococcaceae_UCG-014, and decreased Lactobacillus, Bacteroides, and Alloprevotella, suggesting that HEP can improve the GM structure and inhibit CTX-induced GM dysregulation. Moreover, HEP increased short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria, recovered SCFA levels, alleviated immunosuppression caused by CTX, enhanced the serum immune cytokine factors, and upregulated TLR4/NF-κB pathway key proteins (TLR4, NF-κB p65) at mRNA and protein levels. CONCLUSION: Hericium erinaceus polysaccharides effectively regulated GM and enhancement of intestinal immune function, so they have the potential to be developed as functional ingredients or foods to modulate immune responses. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.