Gut-Liver Axis reveals the protective effect of exopolysaccharides isolated from Sporidiobolus pararoseus on alcohol-induced liver injury

• Main Authors: Bin Hu, Wenhao Jiang, Yun Yang, Wenqian Xu, Chang Liu, Siyi Zhang, He Qian, Weiguo Zhang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2021-12-01
• Series: Journal of Functional Foods
• Subjects: Alcoholic liver injury; Exopolysaccharides from Sporidiobolus pararoseus; GUT-liver axis; Intestinal barrier function
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1756464621003868

Chronic and excessive alcohol consumption can lead to the development of alcoholic liver disease (ALD), which is characterized by oxidative damage, inflammation, and impaired intestinal barrier function. To evaluate the effect of exopolysaccharides (EPS) from Sporidiobolus pararoseus on ALD, alcohol was used in this study to cause liver damage in mice. Then, the antioxidant and anti-inflammation activities and protective effect of EPS on the intestinal barrier function were further explored in an ALD model. The results show that the histopathological change and liver injury were significantly improved in the EPS group. EPS treatment significantly increased the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) (P < 0.05), and weak reduced the elevation of malondialdehyde (MDA) induced by ALD. Several inflammatory markers, including tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β were reduced significantly after the intervention by EPS (P < 0.01). In addition, EPS also inhibited the injury of the small intestine and regulated the intestinal barrier function. A mechanism study shows that EPS restrained oxidative stress and protected intestinal barrier function by activating Nrf2/HO-1/PPAR-γ signaling pathway and upregulating the expression of ZO-1 and occludin, indicating that EPS showed protective activity against ALD through the gut-hepatic axis. Therefore, EPS has potential as a protective agent against ALD.