ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Microbes
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1583652
This article is part of the Research TopicFood-Derived Phytochemicals as Regulators of Gut MicrobiotaView all 4 articles
Dietary Intervention with Polygonatum sibiricum Polysaccharides Mitigates Cadmium Liver Toxicity: A Gut-Liver Axis Perspective
Provisionally accepted
- 1Public Health College, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shang hai, China
- 2Department of Clinical nutrition, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital Guizhou Hospital, Guiyang, China
- 3School of Public Health, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, China
- 4Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, China
- 5The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China
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Cadmium (Cd) contamination in food chains poses a global health threat, necessitating safe and effective dietary interventions. While polysaccharides are emerging as detoxifying agents, the role of Polygonatum sibiricum polysaccharides (PSP) in Cd-induced liver injury remains unexplored. This study established a female rat model of cadmium (Cd)-induced liver toxicity with PSP supplementation (125 mg/kg/day) for 8 weeks. The effect of PSP on Cd-induced hepatotoxicity was evaluated through histopathological assessment, biochemical analysis, and measurements of Cd levels in the liver and kidneys. Metabolomics and gut microbiota analysis further explored the hepatoprotective mechanisms. Results demonstrated that PSP significantly reduced serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels in Cd-exposed rats, improved hepatic steatosis, and increased intestinal villi height. PSP decreased Cd accumulation in both the liver and kidney, enhanced intestinal barrier function, promoted the growth of beneficial bacteria (Lactobacillus), and modulated the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These effects contribute to the alleviation of Cd-induced hepatic dysfunction and metabolic disorders, including pathways such as riboflavin metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis, nucleotide metabolism, purine metabolism, and 2-oxocarboxylic acid metabolism.In conclusion, PSP demonstrates potential as a functional dietary intervention for alleviating Cdinduced hepatotoxicity. This study advocates for PSP as a novel nutraceutical for mitigating dietary Cd toxicity.
Keywords: Cadmium, Polygonatum sibiricum polysaccharides, Hepatotoxicity, Gut Microbiota, Gut-liver axis
Received: 26 Feb 2025; Accepted: 05 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Di, Zhou, Chen, Wang and Huang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xiao Huang, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, China
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