ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1692189
Nettle (Urtica cannabina L.) Polysaccharide as a Novel Dietary Supplement: Enhancing Systemic Antioxidant Status via Modulation of Gut-Liver Axis
Provisionally accepted
- 1Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Grassland Research Institute, Hohhot, China
- 2Baicheng Normal University, Baicheng, China
- 3Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
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Background: Nettle (Urtica cannabina L.) is a promising traditional food source with great potential in the expanding functional foods market; however, the bioactive potential of its polysaccharides, as major component, remains underexplored as functional food ingredients. This study evaluated the effects of U. cannabina polysaccharides (UP) on gut microbiota modulation and systemic antioxidant activity in healthy mice. Methods: Mice were fed a basal diet or diets supplemented with low (300 mg/kg) (UPL) and high (600 mg/kg) (UPH) doses of UP for 28 days. Results: Our findings revealed that UP supplementation, particularly at low doses, significantly improved growth performance (P < 0.05), serum lipid profiles (P < 0.05), and hepatic and serum antioxidant capacity without inducing liver damage. Notably, UPL treatment reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (P < 0.01) and enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), catalase (CAT), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) (P < 0.05). 16S rRNA sequencing indicated that UP supplementation altered the gut microbiota composition, particularly by increasing the relative abundance of beneficial genera such as Parabacteroides (P = 0.0973) and Dubosiella (P = 0.0648) in the UPL group, which were positively correlated with antioxidant biomarkers. Moreover, UPL treatment elevated levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), especially acetate and butyrate (P < 0.05). Untargeted metabolomics demonstrated that UPL treatment influenced serum metabolic profiles and enriched the bile acid (BA) secretion pathway, with notable increases in deoxycholic acid and taurocholic acid, suggesting a potential link between gut microbiota, BA metabolism, and host antioxidant status. Conclusion: In conclusion, these findings indicate that UP could serve as a safe and effective functional dietary supplement capable of enhancing improving antioxidant defenses function through gut microbiota modulation and gut-liver axis signaling.
Keywords: Urtica cannabina L., Polysaccharides, antioxidant, Gut-liver axis, Gut Microbiota, Serum metabolites
Received: 26 Aug 2025; Accepted: 20 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Zhang, Zhang, Qiao, Wang, Gao and Dong. 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: Ping Dong, dongping@ouc.edu.cn
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