Protective Effects of Different Molecular Weights of Purslane ( Portulaca oleracea L.) Aqueous Extract on DSS-Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Mice

• Published in: Antioxidants Vol. 12; no. 7; p. 1400
• Main Authors: Ning, Ke, Duan, Yameng, Tong, Weiwei, Chen, Yue, Zhang, Qinghui, Xie, Qiuhong, Xiang, Hongyu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.07.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Analysis; Animal models; Antioxidants; Biotechnology; Dextran; Dextran sulfate; Drinking water; Fatty acids; Flavonoids; Functional foods; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; gut microbiota; Health aspects; Herbal medicine; Inflammatory bowel disease; Intestinal microflora; Liquid chromatography; macromolecular extract; Macromolecules; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Membrane separation; Microbiota; Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms); Molecular weight; Organic acids; oxidative stress; Polysaccharides; Proteins; purslane; Remission; small molecular extract; Sulfates; Ulcerative colitis; China; Beijing China; Portulaca oleracea L; macromolecular extract; small molecular extract; ulcerative colitis; gut microbiota; oxidative stress; purslane
• ISSN: 2076-3921; 2076-3921
• DOI: 10.3390/antiox12071400

Purslane, a common wild vegetable, contains active substances with various biological functions. However, its effects have been under-investigated in ulcerative colitis (UC). Therefore, this study investigated the therapeutic effects of purslane macromolecular (POEM) and small molecular extracts (POES) on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC in mice. Membrane separation was used to obtain extracts of different molecular weights, and their compositional differences were compared using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS). POEM contained more proteins and polysaccharides, whereas POES contained more organic acids and alkaloids. These differences in composition were directly responsible for the different degrees of remission of the alleviated UC in model mice. POEM may alleviate UC by regulating the antioxidant capacity and the gut microbiota, whereas the major alleviatory effect of POES was primarily related to the regulation of antioxidant capacity. The POEM and POES effects identified in this study provide a theoretical basis for the development of purslane as a functional food.