Beneficial effects of sulfated polysaccharide from the red seaweed Gelidium pacificum Okamura on mice with antibiotic-associated diarrhea

The purpose was to investigate whether Gelidium pacificum Okamura polysaccharide (sulfated polysaccharide, GPOP-1) had beneficial effects on mice with antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD). Compared with the natural recovery group, GPOP-1 increased the richness and diversity of the gut microbiome, as well as altering the composition of the gut microbiota. At the genus level, GPOP-1 significantly increased the relative abundance of Bacteroides, Oscillospira, Bifidobacterium and decreased the relative abundance of Parabacteroides, Sutterella, AF12. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) metabolic pathway differences revealed that the metabolic function of the gut microbiota could be significantly improved by GPOP-1. Furthermore, GPOP-1 down-regulated the concentrations of inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin-2 (IL-2), alleviated the pathological features of the cecum, and increased the contents of acetate, propionate, butyrate, total short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Results indicated that GPOP-1 had beneficial effects on mice with AAD by promoting the recovery of gut microbiota and mucosal barrier function, reversing metabolic disorders, down-regulating the levels of inflammatory cytokines and improving the content of SCFAs.