The therapeutic potential for senescence-associated diabetes of green alga Enteromorpha prolifera polysaccharide

DEAE-52 and Sephadex G-100 columns were used to isolate Enteromorpha prolifera polysaccharide (EPP), which contains α-L-Rhap-(1 → 4)-α-L-Arap-(1 → 2)-α-L-Rhap-(1 → 3)-β-D-Galp-(1 → structural fragment, along with α-L-Rhap-(1 → and →2)-α-L-Rhap-(1 → 3)-β-D-GlcpA-(1 → side bonds that connect to →3,6)-β-D-Galp-(1→. The anti-ageing and hypoglycemic activities of EPP were assessed using an ageing diabetic mice model, and the revealed that EPP could improve glucose metabolism-associated parameters and inhibit the expression of ageing associated genes, including p16^INK4a, p38 MAPK, NOX-1, VEGF, and AGER, thus preventing liver damage. Moreover, gut microbiota profiling revealed that EPP significantly increased the abundances of o_Lactobacillaceae, c_Bacilli, f_Lactobacillaceae, g_Lactobacillus, and p_Firmicutes, showing that EPP has a probiotic effect on enhancing the beneficial microbiota in ageing diabetic mice. In summary, EPP might serve as a potential bioactive compound to alleviate hyperglycaemia and ageing in diabetic in mice and further clinical studies are required to verify these effects.