Structure of a laminarin-type β-(1→3)-glucan from brown algae Sargassum henslowianum and its potential on regulating gut microbiota

Yongsheng Cui, Lixia Zhu, Yixuan Li, Siliang Jiang, Qili Sun, Enyi Xie, Hubiao Chen, Zhongzhen Zhao, Wei Qiao, Jun Xu*, Caixia Dong*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

46 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A homogeneous polysaccharide named SHNP with apparent molecular weight of 8.4 kDa was purified from brown algae Sargassum henslowianum using ethanol precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography, and gel-filtration column chromatography. Structural analyses reveal that SHNP is completely composed of glucose, and its backbone consists of β-D-(1→3)-Glcp with side chains comprising t-β-D-Glcp attached at the O-6 position. Thus, SHNP is a laminarin-type polysaccharide. In vitro fermentation test results showed that SHNP was digested by gut microbiota; the pH value in the fecal culture of SHNP was significantly decreased; and total short-chain fatty acids, acetic, propionic and n-butyric acids were significantly increased. Furthermore, SHNP regulated the intestinal microbiota composition by stimulating the growth of species belonging to Enterobacteriaceae while depleting Haemophilus parainfluenzae and Gemmiger formicilis. Taken together, these results indicate that SHNP has the potential for regulating gut microbiota, but its specific role in the regulation requires to be further investigated.

Original languageEnglish
Article number117389
Number of pages12
JournalCarbohydrate Polymers
Volume255
Early online date9 Nov 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2021

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Organic Chemistry
  • Polymers and Plastics
  • Materials Chemistry

User-Defined Keywords

  • Gut microbiota
  • In vitro fermentation
  • Sargassum henslowianum
  • Short-chain fatty acids
  • β-(1→3)-Glucan

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