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Foods
2025 Feb 09;144:. doi: 10.3390/foods14040574.
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Investigating the Alleviating Effect of Fucoidan from Apostichopus japonicus on Ulcerative Colitis by Mice Experiments and In Vitro Simulation of Human Fecal Fermentation.
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BACKGROUND: Fucoidan from Apostichopus japonicus (Aj-FUC) is a marine polysaccharide extracted from the high-quality sea cucumber, which has received increasing attention for its multiple biological activities.
METHODS: In this study, Aj-FUC was extracted, and its basic structure was characterized, while the alleviating efficacy of Aj-FUC on ulcerative colitis (UC) was investigated using C57BL/6 mice. The improvement of Aj-FUC on the fecal gut microbiota in healthy individuals and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients was explored using in vitro simulated fecal fermentation.
RESULTS: The results reflected that Aj-FUC treatment attenuated the histopathological damage associated with colitis, reduced the levels of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α. Aj-FUC treatment also upregulated the expression of ZO-1 and occludin, thereby aiding in the repair of the intestinal barrier. Furthermore, Aj-FUC enhanced the levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and helped restore the balance of gut microbiota, particularly by increasing the relative abundance of Akkermansia. In vitro simulation of fecal fermentation showed that Aj-FUC could modulate the gut microbiota of IBD patients and increase the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria.
CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, this study highlights that Aj-FUC can alleviate UC by modulating the levels of inflammatory factors, improving the intestinal barrier, and regulating the intestinal flora in a variety of ways.
Figure 2. Effect of Aj-FUC on basic indicators of pathologic histology in mice with DSS-induced colitis. (A) Experimental design; (B) disease activity index (DAI); (C) representative colonic images of mice; (D) length of mice colon; (E) HE stained section of mice colon; (F) pathohistological scores. ### p < 0.001, #### p < 0.0001 vs. N; * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01 vs. M.
Figure 3. Effect of Aj-FUC on tissue inflammatory factors in mice with DSS-induced colitis. (A) IL-6; (B) IL-1β; (C) TNF-α. ## p < 0.01, ### p < 0.001 vs. N; * p < 0.05 vs. M.
Figure 4. Effect of Aj-FUC on DSS-induced intestinal mucosal barrier in mice. (A) Pictures of AB-PAS-stained colon sections; (B) the protein levels of ZO-1; (C) the protein levels of occludin; (D) the mRNA levels of muc-2; (E) the mRNA levels of ZO-1; (F) the mRNA levels of occludin. # p < 0.05, ## p < 0.01 vs. N; * p < 0.05, *** p < 0.001 vs. M.
Figure 5. Effect of Aj-FUC treatment on SCFA concentration in DSS-induced mice in the contents of the cecum: (A) acetate; (B) propionate; (C) isobutyrate; (D) butyrate; (E) isovalerate; (F) valerate. # p < 0.05 vs. N; * p < 0.05 vs. M.
Figure 6. Regulation of intestinal microbiota in mice with DSS-induced colitis by Aj-FUC. (A) Principal Coordinate Analysis; (B) effect of Aj-FUC on the composition and structure of intestinal microbiota in mice; (C) relative abundance of Akkermansia, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, Prevotellaceae UCG-00l, Clostridia UCG-014; (D) LDA scores based on LEfSe analysis. ### p < 0.001 vs. N; * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001 vs. M.
Figure 7. Aj-FUC alters human gut microbiota diversity through in vitro fermentation. (A) Chao1 index; (B) Shannon index; (C) Simpson index; (D) principal coordinate analysis.
Figure 8. Alterations in human gut microbiota after 48 h of Aj-FUC fermentation. (A) Relative abundance of microbial communities at the phylum level; (B) relative abundance of microbial communities at the genus level; (C) description of LEfSe analysis for microbial characterization; (D) LDA scores based on LEfSe analysis.
