Research progress of polysaccharide intervention in type 2 diabetes based on intestinal flora
Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a common type of diabetes. It is characterized by hyperglycemia, and its pathogenesis is complex. If it is not treated and controlled in time, it will often cause serious complications, threatening human health. Studies have found that its pathogenesis is closely related to oxidative stress, insulin resistance, inflammatory reaction and other factors, but the specific mechanism is not clear. As the prevalence of T2DM continues to rise, research on it is also deepening, and it is widely believed that dysbiosis of the gut microbiota is an important risk factor for T2DM. Dysbiosis of gut microbiota can cause chronic low-level inflammation throughout the body, leading to obesity and insulin resistance. The structure and distribution of gut microbiota in T2DM patients are significantly different from those in normal individuals, due to changes in the abundance of various microorganisms in the gut microbiota.

Polysaccharides are high molecular weight compounds formed by the combination of ten or more monosaccharides through glycosidic bonds. Their monosaccharide compositions may be the same or different, and their molecular structures are complex and large. They have abundant natural resources, high safety, minimal toxic side effects, and many pharmacological activities, such as lowering blood sugar, antioxidation, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and immune regulation. Among them, polysaccharides have shown good effects in lowering blood sugar, such as Huanglian polysaccharides, which can significantly improve fasting blood glucose levels in T2DM rats and have good lipid-lowering effects. Although there may be differences in the mechanisms of lowering blood sugar between different polysaccharides, or multiple mechanisms may exist simultaneously, they mainly play a role in repairing pancreatic islet cells, increasing insulin content, enhancing insulin sensitivity, improving insulin resistance, increasing the activity of key enzymes in glucose metabolism, increasing hepatic glycogen synthesis, and regulating gut microbiota. The interaction mechanism between polysaccharides and gut microbiota has become a research hotspot. More and more studies have shown that polysaccharides can regulate gut microbiota, maintain structural stability between gut microbiota, prevent intestinal dysfunction, and thus regulate sugar metabolism disorders. Moreover, the gut microbiota can also metabolize and utilize polysaccharides, increase the content of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), improve the acidic environment of the intestine, promote the growth of beneficial bacteria such as Bacteroides, provide energy for the intestine and liver, enhance intestinal barrier function, increase insulin sensitivity, and improve insulin resistance. This article reviews and organizes relevant literature in recent years, summarizing the impact of gut microbiota on T2DM, the interaction between polysaccharides and gut microbiota on the occurrence and development of T2DM, providing ideas for the mechanism research between T2DM and gut microbiota, as well as the development of active polysaccharides for the treatment of T2DM, and providing more safe and effective options for the treatment of T2DM.

 

Diabetes and its complications seriously affect human life and health, the pathogenesis is complex, we need to study and treat diabetes and its complications from different angles. The gut microbiota affects the generation of SCFAs, bile acid and branched chain amino acid metabolism, and endotoxin secretion in the body, playing a crucial role in the study of the complex mechanisms of T2DM. Therefore, the development of natural medicines that can treat T2DM by regulating gut microbiota is the current trend. Polysaccharides are safe and have minimal toxic side effects, with good prebiotic effects and blood glucose regulation. Polysaccharides affect the structure of gut microbiota in the body, and the types of microbiota they alter are not fixed, but mostly by increasing the content of beneficial bacteria such as Bacteroides and butyrate producing bacteria; Reduce harmful bacteria such as Shigella and Escherichia; And increase the content of SCFAs, affecting the metabolism of substances including LPS, thereby improving the intestinal ecological disorder caused by T2DM, which is of great significance for alleviating and treating T2DM.

Although polysaccharides have shown good therapeutic effects in regulating blood sugar and maintaining gut microbiota, current research and development of polysaccharides still face significant challenges. The main manifestations are: complex and heterogeneous polysaccharide structures, challenging characterization of polysaccharide chemical structures, difficulty in clarifying structure-activity relationships, lack of in vivo metabolic research, difficulty in separating polysaccharides from different sources, and difficulty in controlling quality. Moreover, there are numerous types of gut microbiota, and the impact of polysaccharides from different sources on the structural composition of gut microbiota varies. In addition, current research on the interaction between polysaccharides and gut microbiota is mostly limited to animal experiments. Therefore, based on the study of the effect of polysaccharides on T2DM through gut microbiota, it is necessary to first clarify the structure and quality control standards of polysaccharides. On this basis, the structure-activity relationship of polysaccharides should be clarified, and the impact of polysaccharides on gut microbiota should be explored in depth to expand the clinical application scope of polysaccharides. This can provide new ideas and basis for the development of active polysaccharides that maintain intestinal homeostasis and prevent T2DM.