Characterization of sea buckthorn polysaccharides and the analysis of its regulatory effect on the gut microbiota imbalance induced by cefixime in mice

Sea buckthorn pomace is a by-product of sea buckthorn products that is not effectively utilized. This study obtained sea buckthorn polysaccharides (SPs) from pomace, analyzed its structure, and investigated its regula-tory effect on the gut microbiota imbalance induced by cefixime. The results showed that SPs had an average molecular weight of 6.26 x 103 kDa and mainly consisted of galacturonic acid, galactose, and rhamnose. Biochemical analysis showed that SPs increased the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and the abundance of Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and Akkermanis in the gut of cefixime-treated mice. Correlation analysis suggested that various microorganisms had a significant (p < 0.05) relationship with SCFAs. Conse-quently, the underlying mechanism of SPs in restoring cefixime-induced gut microbiota disorder may be due to the promotion of SCFAs and SCFA-producing bacteria in the gut and gut microbiota regulation, benefiting gut health. This study is significant for developing and utilizing sea buckthorn pomace.