PAKISTAN VETERINARY JOURNAL

Pak Vet J, xxxx, xx(x) xxx-xxx

Protective Role of Lotus Leaf Polysaccharides in Mice with Ulcerative Colitis

Wenying Bi ^1, ^#, Jitao Sun ^{2, #}, Ying Zhang ^{1, #}, Zhaojing Luo^{4, #}, Xue Zhang ⁶, Na Xia ¹, Baoying Chen ¹, Yanyun Che ^{7, 8}, Sandie Siew Shean Choong ⁵, Liwei Guo ^{4, 8}, Weijie Qu ¹, Xiaonan Yang ⁹, Yi Wu ^{3, 8, *}, Xin Wu ^{1, *} and Qiu Zhong ^{3, *}

¹College of Veterinary Medicine, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China; ²College of Basic Medicine, Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China; ³Guangxi Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding, Disease Control and Prevention, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China; ⁴School of Animal Science, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China; ⁵Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Kota Bharu, Malaysia; ⁶College of Animal Science and Technology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China; ⁷China Engineering research center for homology of medicine and food beverage of Yunnan Province, College of Pharmaceutical Science, Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine, Kunming, China; ⁸Yunnan Characteristic Plant Extraction Laboratory, Kunming, China; ⁹National Engineering Research Center for Southwest Endangered Medicinal Resources Development, Guangxi Botanical Garden of Medicinal Plants, Nanning 530023, China.

*Corresponding author: wuyi2001cn@163.com (YW); wuxinddl@hotmail.com (XW); zhongqiujob@163.com (QZ)

Abstract

The incidence of ulcerative colitis (UC) is increasing worldwide, and the development of drugs to protect against UC is imminent. Lotus leaf polysaccharides (LLP) have anti-inflammatory effects. It is necessary to investigate whether they are effective against ulcerative colitis. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-UC effects. RAW264.7 LPS-induced inflammation model and a Dextran Sulfate Sodium Salt (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis model in mice were used to assess the anti-UC effects of LLP. LLP can improve the antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory effects in the LPS-induced RAW264.7 inflammation model. In the DSS model, LLP significantly improved pathological features, including increased body weight, colon length, reduced bloody stool, and effective protection of the intestinal structure, as well as inhibition of inflammatory factor production. LLP also increased the goblet cell numbers (as determined by PAS staining), significantly enhanced the tight junction (TJ) protein (Claudin-1, Occludin, ZO-1) expression (P<0.05), which helps maintain the integrity of the intestinal barrier, and inhibited the TLR4-MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway. Furthermore, analysis of colon microbiota in DSS-treated mice revealed that LLP restored the bacterial structure damaged by DSS, improved the composition of intestinal flora, and increased the ratio of the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio. Additionally, metabolite analysis showed that LLP altered metabolite profiles and up-regulated pathways involving arginine, ornithine, and lysine, which may be associated with LLP’s inhibition of UC. Overall, LLP exerts anti-UC effects by modulating gut microbiota and metabolism, enhancing antioxidant capacity, and strengthening the integrity of colonic tight junctions.

To Cite This Article: Bi W, Sun J, Zhang Y, Luo Z, Zhang Z, Xia N, Chen B, Che Y, Choong SSS, Guo L, Qu W, Yang X, Wu Y, Wu X and Zhong Q, 2025. Protective role of lotus leaf polysaccharides in mice with ulcerative colitis. Pak Vet J. http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2025.323

Abstract

ISSN 0253-8318 (Print)ISSN 2074-7764 (Online)

ISSN 0253-8318 (Print)
ISSN 2074-7764 (Online)