Seaweed polysaccharides treatment alleviates injury of inflammatory responses and gut barrier in LPS-induced mice

Abstract

Gastrointestinal (GI) disease is a common digestive tract disease effects health of millions of human globally each year, thus the role of intestinal microflora had been emphasized. Seaweed polysaccharides featured a wide range of pharmacological activities, such as antioxidant activity and pharmacological action, but whether they can alleviate the dysbiosis of gut microbial ecology caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure has not been well conducted. In this study, we investigated the effects of different concentration of seaweed polysaccharides on LPS-induced intestinal disorder by using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. Histopathological results indicated that the intestinal structure in the LPS-induced group was damaged. Furthermore, LPS exposure not only reduced the intestinal microbial diversity in mice but also induced considerable transformation in its composition, along with significant increase in pathogenic bacteria (Helicobacter, Citrobacter and Mucispirillum) and decrease in beneficial bacteria (Firmicutes, Lactobacillus, Akkermansia and Parabacteroides). Nonetheless, seaweed polysaccharides administration could recover the gut microbial dysbiosis and the loss of gut microbial diversity induced by LPS exposure. In summary, seaweed polysaccharides were effective against LPS-induced intestinal damage in mice via the modulation of intestinal microecology.

Keywords: 16S rRNA; Gut microbiota; Intestinal inflammation; Lipopolysaccharide (LPS); Seaweed polysaccharides.