Abstract
There is increasing evidence of the linkage between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and gut microbiota. Based on our previous studies, we investigated the hypoglycemic mechanisms of yam gruel to provide a scientific basis for its popularization and application. Wistar rats were randomly divided into control and T2DM model groups. Rats in the model group were stimulated by a high-sugar/high-fat diet combined with an intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin to induce T2DM. The T2DM rats were further subdivided randomly into three groups: (1) DM, (2) DM + yam gruel, and (3) DM + metformin. After 4 weeks of intervention, the changes in gut microbiota, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) (acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid), the expression of G protein-coupled receptor 43 (GPR43), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), peptide YY (PYY), and fasted blood glucose (FBG) levels were observed. Yam gruel intervention elevated the abundance of probiotic bacteria and increased the expression of SCFAs, GPR43 receptor, GLP-1, and PYY. It also reduced FBG levels. We conclude that yam gruel can lower FBG by promoting the growth of probiotic bacteria, increasing the content of SCFAs, and enhancing the expression of GPR43 receptor to increase the content of GLP-1 and PYY in serum.
Highlights
Diabetes mellitus is one of the most critical chronic noncommunicable diseases, threatening human health around the world
The current study aimed to determine the effects of yam gruel on the gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and to evaluate other vital indicators, including the G protein-coupled receptor 43 (GPR43) receptor, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), peptide YY (PYY), and fasted blood glucose (FBG)
To study the effect of yam gruel on the blood glucose levels of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats, FBG was measured before the intervention and at the end of a 4-week intervention
Summary
Diabetes mellitus is one of the most critical chronic noncommunicable diseases, threatening human health around the world. The gut microbiota has increasingly become a new target for the prevention and treatment of T2DM [6]. In T2DM patients, the abundance of probiotics such as Bifidobacterium in the intestinal tract has been shown to decrease while the level of opportunistic pathogens such as Bacteroides increased significantly [7,8]. A previous study by our group showed that yam gruel can facilitate the growth of Bifidobacterium and help lower blood glucose levels [15,16]. The current study aimed to determine the effects of yam gruel on the gut microbiota and SCFAs and to evaluate other vital indicators, including the GPR43 receptor, GLP-1, PYY, and fasted blood glucose (FBG). We believe that this work provides novel insight into the hypoglycemic mechanism of yam gruel and insight into T2DM prevention, providing a scientific basis for the popularization and application of yam gruel
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