Chinese Traditional and Herbal Drugs•2026•DOI: 10.7501/j.issn.0253-2670.2026.15.20261505
This study systematically evaluated the impact of three processing methods—fire treatment, dry distillation, and water boiling—on the chemical composition and antitussive/expectorant efficacy of Bambusae Succus (BS). GC-MS analysis quantified guaiacol and syringol contents: fire treatment yielded 4.68% and 2.22% respectively, with total phenolics at 14.93%; dry distillation yielded 5.98% and 6.96%, with total phenolics at 24.77%; water boiling produced total phenolics of 3.65%, with both target compounds below detection limits. PCA and OPLS-DA identified 13 discriminatory components, including 2-methylphenol, creosol, eugenol, and vanillin. Microscopic examination revealed that water boiling preserved bamboo microstructure similar to fresh bamboo, whereas fire treatment and dry distillation induced significant structural degradation. In a COPD mouse model, all three preparations exhibited antitussive and expectorant effects, but dry distillation significantly prolonged cough latency (P<0.05) and increased phenol red excretion (P<0.01). The superior efficacy of dry distillation is attributed to its higher retention and thermal conversion of lignin-derived phenolics, specifically 4-ethylguaiacol and maltol, which modulate Nrf2/HO-1 and NF-κB pathways. These findings establish dry distillation as the optimal processing method for maximizing bioactive phenolic content and therapeutic efficacy, providing a scientific basis for clinical application and new formulation development.
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research•2026•DOI: 10.12307/2026.21403
BACKGROUND: Lycium barbarum polysaccharide is a natural active ingredient with potential to lower blood glucose and improve diabetes-related symptoms. However, from the perspective of gut microbiota, the underlying factors for the effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide on glycolipid abnormalities have not been fully elucidated. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide on type 2 diabetes mellitus and its related mechanism. METHODS: Six male Sprague-Dawley rats aged 8 weeks were randomly selected from 18 rats to form a blank control group. The remaining 12 rats were fed a high-sugar, high-fat diet for 8 weeks and then received a single tail vein injection of 1% streptozotocin to establish a type 2 diabetes model. After successful modeling, the rat models were then randomly divided into a model control group (n=6) and a Lycium barbarum polysaccharide group (n=6). Rats in the Lycium barbarum polysaccharide group were administered Lycium barbarum polysaccharide solution via gavage at a dose of 200 mg/(kg·d), 2 mL per dose, once daily, for 12 consecutive weeks. After the intervention, rat serum and feces were collected. 16S rDNA sequencing was used to analyze gut microbiota, and alpha diversity, beta diversity, and principal component analysis were used to characterize microbial abundance and structure. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to detect short-chain fatty acid levels. ELISA was used to detect glycolipid metabolism, insulin resistance, and inflammatory response indicators. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Compared with the model control group, the Lycium barbarum polysaccharide group had increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and decreased total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, indicating that Lycium barbarum polysaccharide improved lipid accumulation and inhibited weight loss in type 2 diabetic rats. Compared with the model control group, the Lycium barbarum polysaccharide group had decreased levels of interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and blood glucose, and increased levels of insulin and glucagon-like peptide-1, indicating that Lycium barbarum polysaccharide effectively inhibited inflammatory response and insulin resistance. Lycium barbarum polysaccharide significantly improved the composition of gut microbiota, increasing the abundance of Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, Clostridia_UCG-014_unclassified, Monoglobus, Phascolarctobacterium, Candidatus_Saccharimonas, Desulfovibrionaceae unclassified, and Desulfovibrio, and decreasing the abundance of Muribaculaceae_unclassified and Enterorhabdus. Lycium barbarum polysaccharide also significantly increased short-chain fatty acid levels, and Clostridia_UCG-014_unclassified, Candidatus_Saccharimonas, and Muribaculaceae_unclassified may participate in regulating butyric acid production to improve glycolipid metabolism in type 2 diabetic rats. Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, Monoglobus, and Desulfovibrionaceae unclassified may participate in regulating isobutyric acid production to inhibit insulin resistance and improve lipid metabolism. Lycium barbarum polysaccharide can improve the inflammatory response in type 2 diabetic rats by increasing the abundance of Firmicutes_unclassified, Clostridia_UCG-014_unclassified, Intestinimona, and Colidextribacter, and inhibiting the abundance of Kineothrix.
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research•2026•DOI: 10.12307/2026.21537
BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that exercise modulates gut microbiota and glucose metabolism; however, the mechanism linking exercise to gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acid production in type 2 diabetes remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism by which exercise modulates gut microbiota composition and short-chain fatty acid metabolism to treat type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a control group (n=6) and a model group (n=14). The rats in the model group were fed a high-sugar, high-fat diet for 8 weeks to induce insulin resistance. Following 12 hours of fasting (water allowed), rats received a tail vein injection of 1% streptozotocin solution (35 mg/kg) to damage pancreatic β-cells and elevate blood glucose, establishing type 2 diabetes models. Following successful modeling, feeding protocols remained unchanged. Twelve type 2 diabetes rats were divided into a model group (n=6) and an exercise group (n=6), and the exercise group were subjected to 12 weeks of aerobic exercise. Following the final aerobic exercise intervention, blood samples were collected for glucose metabolism indicators, and fresh feces were collected for short-chain fatty acid measurement by gas chromatography. Total microbial DNA was extracted from fresh feces, PCR amplified, purified, and sequenced using NovaSeq high-throughput sequencing. Species annotation was performed using the SILVA database, differential flora screening based on linear discriminant analysis effect size, and MetaCyc functional pathway prediction to explore associations between exercise intervention and glycolipid metabolism pathways. Heatmaps and visualization network diagrams were used to analyze correlations between key flora and biochemical indicators. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: After 12 weeks of aerobic exercise, the exercise group showed significant improvement in glycolipid metabolism disorders, reduced inflammation, enhanced insulin sensitivity, and significantly decreased fasting blood glucose (P < 0.01). α-diversity analysis showed that the exercise group had significantly higher richness (Chao index), coverage (Coverage index), diversity (Shannon index), and evenness (Simpson index) of gut microbiota compared to the model group (P < 0.05). Abundance statistics, correlation heatmaps, and network diagrams showed that exercise significantly increased the abundance of short-chain fatty acid-producing genera such as Colidextribacter and Intestinimonas within Firmicutes, positively correlated with hexanoic acid and valeric acid levels; while inhibiting pathogenic bacteria such as Klebsiella and Turicibacter within Proteobacteria, negatively correlated with short-chain fatty acid levels. Lactobacillus promoted the production of butyric acid and other short-chain fatty acids, and was negatively correlated with glycolipid metabolism and inflammatory markers, fasting blood glucose, and interleukin-6 (P < 0.05). KEGG and MetaCyc metabolic function prediction showed that aerobic exercise reshaped energy homeostasis by bidirectionally regulating microbial metabolic pathways: significantly downregulating pathways related to excessive glycolipid catabolism and pro-inflammatory metabolism, while upregulating key pathways for short-chain fatty acid synthesis and glycolytic homeostasis. This functional remodeling was highly synergistic with the restoration of short-chain fatty acid-producing genera in Firmicutes and inhibition of pathogenic bacteria in Proteobacteria (P < 0.05). These results suggest that the dynamic balance of microbial metabolic pathways and host glycolipid metabolism improvement and inflammation alleviation form a closed-loop regulation, indicating that microbiota, short-chain fatty acid synthesis, and metabolic function remodeling are core mechanisms by which exercise improves the pathological process of diabetes.