Characterization of sea buckthorn polysaccharides and the analysis of its regulatory effect on the gut microbiota imbalance induced by cefixime

Abstract

Sea buckthorn pomace is a by-product of sea buckthorn products that is not effectively utilized. This study obtained sea buckthorn polysaccharides (SPs) from the pomace via ultrasound extraction, analyzed its structure, and investigated its regulatory effect on the gut microbiota imbalance induced by cefixime. The results showed that SPs was acid polysaccharides with pyranose rings, composed mainly of galacturonic acid, galactose, and rhamnose. The SPs molecular weight (Mw) was 6.26 × 103 kDa, while further structural analysis revealed an irregular dendritic, fibrous surface morphology. Biochemical analysis showed that SPs increased the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the gut of mice treated with cefixime. Furthermore, SPs increased the abundance of Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and Akkermanis. Correlation analysis suggested that various microbiota had a significant (p < 0.05) relationship with SCFAs. Consequently, the underlying mechanism of SPs in restoring cefixime-induced gut microbiota disorder may be due to the promotion of SCFAs and SCFA-producing bacteria in the gut and gut microbiota regulation, benefiting gut health. This study is highly significant for developing and utilizing sea buckthorn pomace.