ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1710883
This article is part of the Research TopicPlant-Derived Bioactives in Disease Modulation: Bridging Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic ApplicationsView all articles
Effects of Ophiopogon japonicus oligosaccharides on type 2 diabetes in rats via modulation of gut microbiota and metabolites
Provisionally accepted
- The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
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Introduction: Ophiopogon japonicus oligosaccharides (OJO) is a bioactive component extracted and purified from the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Radix Ophiopogonis (Maidong) with significant hypoglycemic effects, although its mechanism of action remains to be further studied. Methods: This study used a high-fat diet supplemented with streptozotocin to establish a rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). OJO was administered at low, medium, and high doses for 4 consecutive weeks. Biochemical indices of glucose and lipid metabolism were measured, and feces, serum, and colonic contents were collected for 16S rRNA gene sequencing, metabolomics, and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Results: OJO treatment significantly alleviated polyuria and weight loss, ameliorated insulin resistance, and improved glucose and lipid metabolism disorders in T2DM rats. OJO also modulated gut microbiota composition by increasing the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidota ratio and regulating key bacterial genera, including decreased Lactobacillus and Prevotella and increased unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae, Faecalibaculum, norank_f_norank_o_Clostridia_UCG-014, Christensenellaceae_R-7_group, Romboutsia, and UCG-005. Additionally, OJO significantly reduced acetic acid and propanoic acid levels. Serum untargeted metabolomic analysis revealed that OJO modulated 40 diabetes-associated metabolites, primarily linked to the synthesis and metabolic pathways of aromatic amino acids and bile acids. Correlation analysis identified significant connections between these metabolic alterations and specific gut microbiota. Conclusion: OJO exhibits therapeutic potential for T2DM, possibly by regulating gut microbiota and associated metabolites.
Keywords: Ophiopogon japonicus oligosaccharides, Gut Microbiota, Serum metabolites, short-chain fatty acids, diabetes
Received: 22 Sep 2025; Accepted: 21 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yang, Chen, Fang, Li, Liu and Lin. 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: Aihua Lin, linah76@163.com
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