Polysaccharides from Black Mulberry Attenuate Colitis through Gut Microbiota Mediated TNF-α/pNF-κB/ICAM‑1 Signaling Pathway

Colitis is characterized by immune dysregulation and gut microbiota imbalance. This study investigates the therapeutic effects of polysaccharides from black mulberry (PBM) on dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice. PBM administration significantly alleviated colitis symptoms, including body weight loss, histological damage, and inflammation, while enhancing antioxidant capacity and strengthening tight junction protein expression. PBM modulated gut microbiota composition, notably increasing Weissella spp., which correlated with elevated short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and decreased pro-inflammatory markers. Colonic RNA sequencing revealed the role of PBM in attenuating colitis via the TNF-α/NF-κB/ICAM-1 signaling pathway. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from PBM-treated mice confirmed that microbiota modulation from PBM contributed to these therapeutic effects. These findings suggest PBM as a natural therapeutic agent for colitis, offering a multifaceted approach to restoring gut homeostasis through microbiota modulation and inflammatory pathway regulation. This study provides new insights into dietary polysaccharides as potential adjunctive therapies for colitis.结肠炎（Colitis）以免疫失调与肠道菌群失衡为核心病理特征。本研究探讨黑桑多糖（polysaccharides from black mulberry, PBM）对硫酸葡聚糖钠（dextran sulfate sodium）诱导的小鼠结肠炎的治疗效应。PBM给药可显著缓解结肠炎相关症状，包括体重减轻、组织学损伤与炎症反应，同时提升机体抗氧化能力，并上调紧密连接蛋白（tight junction protein）的表达水平。PBM可调控肠道菌群组成，显著增加魏斯氏菌属（Weissella spp.）的相对丰度，该变化与短链脂肪酸（short-chain fatty acids, SCFAs）水平升高及促炎标志物表达下调显著相关。结肠RNA测序（Colonic RNA sequencing）结果显示，PBM可通过肿瘤坏死因子α（TNF-α）/核因子κB（NF-κB）/细胞间黏附分子1（ICAM-1）信号通路减轻结肠炎损伤。对经PBM处理的小鼠进行粪便菌群移植（fecal microbiota transplantation, FMT）的实验证实，PBM介导的肠道菌群调控是其产生上述治疗效应的核心机制。上述研究结果表明，PBM是一种治疗结肠炎的天然候选药物，可通过调控肠道菌群与炎症通路多维度恢复肠道稳态，同时为膳食多糖作为结肠炎潜在辅助治疗手段提供了全新的研究视角。