Antidiabetic benefit and underlying mechanism of an anti-digestive dietary polysaccharide from Sargassum fusiforme in rats

The purpose of current study was to explore the potential anti-diabetic activity and molecular mechanism of Sargassum fusiforme polysaccharide (SFP) in type 2 diabetic rats. The analysis of typically diabetic symptoms and serum profiles displayed that oral administration of SFP could markedly mitigate hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia and oxidative stress in diabetic rats. SFP also obviously promoted glycogen synthesis in liver and skeletal muscle. H&E staining observation confirmed that SFP intervention could partially repair liver and muscle injuries caused by diabetes. Moreover, the 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis indicated that SFP treatment could distinctly restore beneficial composition of gut flora in diabetic rats. Furthermore, the RT-qPCR analysis revealed that anti-diabetic effects of SFP may be related closely to accelerating the absorption and utilization of blood glucose in liver and muscle and inhibiting hepatic glycogen hydrolysis.