Abstract:

Investigate whether Hericium erinaceus polysaccharides can alter the diversity and abundance of intestinal microbial flora, and assess the potential impact of changes in fecal microbiota on metabolism, adult healthy mice were gavaged with H. erinaceus polysaccharides for 8 days, after which their feces were collected. The V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene of microbes in the feces were amplified for comparison of microbial community structure and diversity. α-diversity and β-diversity analyses showed that the fecal microbes in the H. erinaceus polysaccharide treatment group had higher richness and community differences. The relative abundance of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria significantly increased compared to the untreated group, while the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes significantly decreased; KEGG functional prediction analysis indicated that the genetic functions of the fecal microbiota were mainly related to carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism, cofactor and vitamin metabolism, etc.; The short-chain fatty acids produced by the fermentation of intestinal microbes in H. erinaceus polysaccharides treatment group was 14.7% higher than those in the untreated group, and there were also significant changes in the composition ratio of short-chain fatty acids. In summary, H. erinaceus polysaccharides affect metabolic pathways by regulating the diversity of mouse fecal microbiota, playing a regulatory role in the body.

Key words: Hericium erinaceus polysaccharide, 16S rRNA, feces, short-chain fatty acid