Crude polysaccharides from Fuzhuan brick tea (CFBTPS) and FBTPS-3 could promote the growth of beneficial bacteria, maintain the stability of the intestinal barrier and exhibit good anti-inflammatory activity against DSS-induced colitis in mice.
In this study, the effects of crude Fuzhuan brick tea polysaccharides (CFBTPS) and their purified fraction (FBTPS-3) on colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in mice were investigated. Both CFBTPS and FBTPS-3 exhibited intestinal anti-inflammatory activities, including restoring body weight, colon length and solid fecal weight, and decreasing the disease activity index score in mice. Moreover, the expression of lipocalin-2 in colitis could be significantly reduced. The inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, IFN-γ and TNF-α) and lipopolysaccharides in the serum and the expression of inflammation-related mRNA in the colon tissue were decreased. Both CFBTPS and FBTPS-3 could increase tight junction proteins (Occludin, Claudin-1 and ZO-1), promoting the intestinal barrier function. For gut microbiota, DSS treatment resulted in abnormal proliferation of Bifidobacteria, while FBTPS-3 could restore this disorder to a certain extent. In addition, FBPTS-3 promoted the growth of probiotics such as Bacteroides, Parasutterella and Collinsella. Both CFBTPS and FBTPS-3 could attenuate colitis; what's more, FBTPS-3 exhibited a better anti-inflammatory effect than CFBTPS.