Experimental Investigation on Inhibitory Effect of Astragalus Polysaccharides on Intestinal Inflammation in High-Fat Diet Mice by Intestinal Flora Regulation

Abstract:

The therapeutic effect of Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) on chronic intestinal inflammation caused by high fat diet through regulating intestinal flora was investigated. Thirty C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into three groups including the control group (C, fed with normal diet), the model group (M, fed with high fat diet) and APS group (D, fed with high-fat diet and 2 g/dL APS solution), with 10 mice in each group. The serum was collected at week 11, and the adipose tissue around the spleen and kidney was stripped and weighed. The mice faeces were collected for 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. The levels of TC, TG, IgA, IgG, IgM, LPS, IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in serum were detected by ELISA. The results showed that APS promoted the abundance of Bacteroidota, decreased the abundance of Firmicutes, increased the ratio of Bacteroidota to Firmicutes, and increased the abundance of Bifidobacterium. It reduced the level of LPS and decreased the release of inflammatory cytokines including IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α. It improved spleen index and promoted the secretion of IgA, IgG and IgM. It is thus speculated that APS could regulate the structure of intestinal flora, enhance the immune function of mice, and inhibit LPS-induced intestinal inflammation.