Anti-diabetic effects of natural and modified ‘Ganzhou’ navel orange peel pectin on type 2 diabetic mice via gut microbiota

Abstract

Pectin, a kind of dietary fiber, has attracted much attention owing to its beneficial effect on human health in recent years. In this study, the effects of both ‘Ganzhou’ navel orange peel pectin (GOP) and modified GOP (MGOP) on type 2 diabetes (T2DM) were investigated. The results indicated that GOP and MGOP intervention had positive effects on T2DM in C57BL/6 mice. After modification, pectin can be changed into low methoxy pectin (LMP) and the content of GalA can increase, which endow MGOP with significant effects on improving lipid metabolism (TC, TG, and LDL-C decreased by 30.46%, 50%, and 37.56%, respectively, and HDL-C increased by 56%) and OGTT, further reducing insulin resistance (insulin decreased by 74.35%). In addition, MGOP was superior to GOP in improving oxidative stress (GSH and GSH-Px increased by 52.05% and 29.08% respectively, and MDA decreased by 84.02%), inhibiting inflammation and promoting SCFA synthesis. 16S rRNA analysis showed that MGOP changed the composition of intestinal microbiota in diabetic mice, decreased the abundance of Alistipes, Helicobacter and Oscillibacter, and increased the relative abundance of Dubosiella, Akkermansiaceae, and Atopobiaceae. The phenotypes of the gut microbiome also changed accordingly, which showed that MGOP significantly inhibited the growth of Gram-negative bacteria and potential pathogenic bacteria and reversed the related complications. Taken together, our findings revealed that MGOP intake regulated lipid metabolism and oxidative stress and improved the gut health of mice, with promising effects against T2DM and related complications.