Inulin and Lycium barbarum polysaccharides ameliorate diabetes by enhancing gut barrier via modulating gut microbiota and activating gut mucosal TLR2+ intraepithelial γδ T cells in rats
Haixia Lu, Ping Liu, Xiaoxia Zhang, Ting Bao, Ting Wang, Li Guo, Yiwei Li, Xiaoying Dong, Xiaorong Li, Youping Dong, Liping Sha, Lanjie He, Hao Wang
Abstract
Previously we demonstrated the anti-diabetic effect of dietary inulin (INU), but the underling mechanism still remains unclear. In this study, 8 weeks treatment of INU with or without Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) decreased blood glucose, plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and inflammation in diabetic rats. Moreover, altered gut microbial community and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were found after the intervention. Intriguingly, these changes in gut microbiota were closely correlated with improved mucosal Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2+γδ intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) and tight-junction proteins (including ZO-1 and occludin) in gut barrier. Taken together, our results highlighted that dietary INU combined with LBP possessed the ability to modify gut microbiota and improve diabetes-related biochemical abnormalities through improving gut barrier by activating gut mucosal γδ IELs via TLR2, which may potentially contribute to the control of the disease.