Fucoidan: balance the intestinal micro-ecology and protect intestinal health

The Microecology Branch of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association has accumulated more than 30 years of research on the basic and clinical application of gastrointestinal microecology, and organized the basic research experts of microecology, the experts of microecological preparations, and the experts of microecological clinical application after many demonstrations, combined with domestic For the first time in related literature, the consensus on the clinical application of microecological modulators in the digestive tract in China has been formulated for reference by clinicians when selecting and applying microecological modulators.

When the body is affected by factors such as age, environment, diet, medication, etc., it will cause intestinal microecological imbalance, also known as imbalance of intestinal flora (imbalance of gut microbiota), which mainly refers to changes in the composition of intestinal flora, The unbalanced state caused by changes in bacterial metabolic activity or changes in the local distribution of the flora; manifested as changes in the type, quantity, proportion, location transfer (shift) and biological characteristics of the intestinal flora.

Microecological regulators are a type of physiological living bacteria produced under the guidance of microecological theory that can adjust the intestinal microecological imbalance, maintain the microecological balance, improve the health of the host (human, animal and plant) or improve the health of the host ( Microorganisms) products. At the same time, it also includes the metabolites of these bacteria and the material products that promote the growth and reproduction of these physiological flora. Microecological regulator is a relatively broad term, which should specifically include live bacteria, dead bacteria, and bacteria Ingredients, metabolites and growth-promoting substances. The current consensus at home and abroad is to divide microecological regulators into three parts: probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics.

Fucoidan extracted from brown algae as a prebiotic is particularly effective in regulating the intestinal flora. It can not only reshape the intestinal flora, but also protect the intestinal barrier and repair the intestinal mucosa. As a natural microecological regulator, fucoidan has significant effects: on the one hand, fucoidan selectively supports the proliferation of beneficial intestinal flora, inhibits the implantation of harmful flora, and regulates the structure and metabolic function of intestinal flora. On the one hand, because fucoidan cannot be degraded by digestive enzymes in the stomach and small intestine, it is degraded by bacteria in the large intestine and then undergoes biotransformation to perform its biological functions. Due to the different sources and extraction methods of different fucoidans, their molecular weight and monosaccharide composition have obvious differences, and their effects on the intestinal flora are also different. Most of the microecological regulators currently used are probiotic products, which are difficult to control and store, and are prone to drug resistance. Fucoidan can support the growth of intestinal probiotic flora, improve the immune function of the body, and regulate the intestinal tract It has significant effects in micro-ecology and other aspects. Fucoidan is used as a micro-ecological regulator, which is rich in resources, easy to store, and stable in curative effect. It is worthy of further research and development and application.

Research by Li Huajun's team from Dalian Medical University showed that after 8 weeks of intervention with fucoidan from wakame in male SD rats, the relative abundance of Actinobacteria, Enterobacter, and Bacteroidetes increased significantly , The relative abundance of Proteobacteria and Firmicutes is reduced. At the genus level, fucoidan treatment reduced the relative abundance of Clostridium, Corynebacterium, Staphylococcus, Aerococcus and Lactobacillus, and Bacillus ( The relative abundance of Bacillus, Ruminococcus, Adlercreutzia, Prevotella, Oscillospira, Blautia, Akkermansia, and Desulfovibrio have increased. The bacterial BSH enzyme activity in the contents of the small intestine was significantly increased. Fucoidan significantly increased the BSH activity of Lactobacillus casei DM8121. The results of animal experiments show that fucoidan can improve the hyperlipidemia model and regulate its intestinal flora. Therefore, fucoidan can be used as a microecological regulator, and is expected to become one of the complementary and alternative drugs for the potential treatment of hyperlipidemia from biological sources.

References:

1 Qichao, Chen, Min, Liu, Pengyu, & Zhang, et al. Fucoidan and galactooligosaccharides ameliorate high-fat diet-induced dyslipidemia in rats by modulating the gut microbiota and bile acid metabolism[J]. Nutrition.2019,65, 50-59.

2 Liu M., M L., Che Q., Zhang P., Chen C., Jia L., Li H. Fucoidan alleviates dyslipidemia and modulates gut microbiota in high-fat diet-induced mice[J].Journal of Functional Foods,2018,48, 220-227.