2. Academic Validation
  3. A highly branched RG-I pectin from zucchini and its effects on the intestinal microecology based on a honeybee model

A highly branched RG-I pectin from zucchini and its effects on the intestinal microecology based on a honeybee model

  • Carbohydr Polym. 2025 Nov 15;368(Pt 2):124249. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2025.124249.
Yuanxue Jiang 1,  Xunze Han 2,  Yu Zhang 3,  Yunlu Wei 4,  Pengxinyi Xiao 2,  Shengtong Zhou 2,  Xin Wen 2,  Xiaofei Wang 2,  Hao Zheng 2,  Quanhong Li 2,  Jing Zhao 5
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 College of Food Science & Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China; CAU-SSCD Advanced Agricultural & Industrial Institute, Chengdu 611400, Sichuan, China.
  • 2 College of Food Science & Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China.
  • 3 College of Food Science & Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China; College of Food Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450000, Henan, China.
  • 4 School of Life Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, Sichuan, China.
  • 5 College of Food Science & Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China; CAU-SSCD Advanced Agricultural & Industrial Institute, Chengdu 611400, Sichuan, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 40947231 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2025.124249
Abstract

Due to its superior health benefits, rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I) pectin has attracted more attention, while the structure-function relationship is ambiguous. Here, a highly branched RG-I rich pectin fraction (ZP) was prepared from zucchini, whose fine structure was identified. The effects of zucchini pectin on the intestinal microecology were compared with commercial citrus pectin (CP) using a honeybee model. ZP has a higher proportion of RG-I structure (67.80 %) and a higher number of branched side chains, which are relatively short. Honeybee model inventions showed that low doses of pectin significantly increased the intestinal length. The gut microbiota strain richness induced by ZP and CP is species specific. ZP significantly enriched the abundance of Bombella, which may possess a higher level of rhamnogalacturonanase. CP resulted in a significant increase in the abundance of Apilactobacillus, which may contain more galacturonidase. Correlation analysis indicated that ZP likely enriched the metabolites (adenosine 5'-monophosphate; adenosine monophosphate) in diabetes-related pathways (mTOR signaling pathway; FOXO signaling pathway), by up-regulating the relative abundance of Bombella, leading to the speculation that ZP may have a role in lowering blood glucose and alleviating diabetes. These results indicated that the biological relevance of RG-I pectin is highly dependent on its detailed branch structure, providing references for the customized utilization of zucchini and RG-I pectin.

Keywords

Gut microorganisms; Isolation; Metabolomics; RG-I pectin; Structure.

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