Oyster polysaccharides alleviate type 2 diabetes mellitus by reshaping gut microbial community, remodeling bile acid pools to coordinate hepatic FXR/TGR5 signaling, and activating the PI3K/AKT cascade to promote glycogen synthesis and inhibit excessive gluconeogenesis.
Oyster polysaccharides (OP) significantly modulated glucose and lipid metabolism disorders in T2DM mice.
OP improved pancreatic, hepatic, and colonic tissue damage in T2DM mice.
OP suppressed inflammatory responses in T2DM mice.
OP reshaped the gut microbial community and enriched bile salt hydrolase (BSH)-producing bacteria as revealed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
OP remodeled the fecal bile acid pool and coordinated hepatic FXR/TGR5 signaling to maintain glucose homeostasis.
OP activated the hepatic PI3K/AKT signaling cascade to promote glycogen synthesis and inhibit excessive gluconeogenesis.
This research suggests that polysaccharides extracted from oysters (Crassostrea gigas) can help control blood sugar in mice with type 2 diabetes. The study found that these oyster polysaccharides (OP) improved multiple aspects of diabetes pathology, including blood glucose and fat metabolism, and reduced damage to the pancreas, liver, and colon. The treatment also dampened inflammation, which is commonly elevated in type 2 diabetes. The researchers identified two main biological pathways through which oyster polysaccharides appear to work. First, OP changed the composition of bacteria living in the gut, specifically increasing bacteria that produce an enzyme called bile salt hydrolase. These bacteria alter bile acids — digestive molecules made in the liver — in ways that activate specific receptors (FXR and TGR5) in the liver that help regulate blood sugar. Second, OP activated a well-known insulin signaling pathway in the liver (PI3K/AKT), which encouraged the liver to store sugar as glycogen and reduced the liver's tendency to produce excess glucose, both of which help lower blood sugar levels. This research matters because it provides a detailed mechanistic explanation for how a natural food-derived compound might help manage type 2 diabetes through the gut-liver axis. This suggests that oyster-derived polysaccharides could potentially be developed as a dietary supplement or functional food ingredient for supporting blood sugar control, though further research in humans would be needed to confirm these findings.
Ma Y, Gu C, Wang K. (2026). Polysaccharide from Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) Alleviates T2DM by Regulating the Gut Microbiota, Bile Acid Metabolism, and the PI3K/AKT Pathway.. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.6c06965