Structural characterization of longan polysaccharide and its modulation of gut microbiota and metabolic profiles
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Updated: Oct 31, 2026

Comparative Study on the Polysaccharide Contents and Antioxidant Activities of Hippophae rhamnoides subsp. sinensis and Hippophae gyantsensis
Published on: August 15, 2025
Shengwei Wang1, Qianming Yang2, Xiaoyan Chen2
1School of Pharmacy and Food Engineering, Wuyi University, Jiangmen, 529020, China; College of Chinese Medicine and Health, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 550025, China.
Abstract:
The present work characterized the structure of longan polysaccharide (LP) and investigated its fermentation behavior and modulatory effects on pooled human gut microbiota. LP was composed predominantly of glucose with minor arabinose and galactose in molar ratios of 97.49%: 1.65%: 0.87%, with an average molecular weight of 7.34 × 107 g/mol (PDI 1.09). The LP main chain consists of →6)-α-D-Glcp-(1→ linkages with sparse branches at O-3/O-4 of Glcp and O-2 of Galp. LP selectively enriched saccharolytic species including Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, B. ovatus, Prevotella copri, and Parabacteroides distasonis that harbor GH97 and other co-enriched CAZyme families. These changes suggest a potential role in LP degradation and potential ABC/PTS-dependent uptake. Functionally, this selective microbiota modulation may drive enhanced short-chain fatty acid production and nitrogen metabolism, generating metabolites including GABA, taurine, and tryptophan/indole derivatives. Collectively, LP functions as a slow-fermentable, microbiota-targeted α-glucan that reshapes gut microbial metabolism toward SCFA and immune-relevant metabolite signature.
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