A novel pectic polysaccharide ALP-2 isolated from Atractylodes lancea rhizome demonstrated hypoglycemic activity by enhancing glucose uptake, improving glucose/lipid metabolism, suppressing hepatic oxidative stress, and modulating gut microbiota in insulin-resistant cells and diabetic animal models.
ALP-2 was characterized as a homogeneous pectic polysaccharide with a molecular weight of 96.33 kDa composed of three structural domains.
ALP-2 enhanced glucose uptake and consumption, promoted glycogen synthesis, and attenuated overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in insulin-resistant HepG2 cells.
Five weeks of ALP-2 supplementation improved body weight and glucose/lipid metabolism indicators in vivo.
ALP-2 suppressed hepatic oxidative stress and alleviated liver pathological changes in diabetic animals.
ALP-2 treatment was associated with specific beneficial alterations in gut microbiota composition.
This research suggests that a carbohydrate compound called ALP-2, extracted from the rhizome of the herb Atractylodes lancea, has blood sugar-lowering properties. Scientists purified and structurally characterized ALP-2, finding it to be a complex sugar molecule weighing about 96,330 daltons with a specific architecture made up of three building-block regions. In laboratory cell studies, ALP-2 helped insulin-resistant liver cells take up and use glucose more efficiently, store more glucose as glycogen, and reduced harmful reactive oxygen species (molecular byproducts that cause cellular damage). In animal studies lasting five weeks, animals given ALP-2 showed improvements in body weight, blood sugar control, and fat metabolism. Their livers showed less damage, including reduced fat accumulation, less cell injury, and less inflammation — all common complications in type 2 diabetes. Additionally, ALP-2 appeared to reshape the community of bacteria living in the gut, increasing the levels of beneficial bacteria (Dubosiella, Faecalibaculum, and Bifidobacterium) while reducing potentially harmful ones (Escherichia-Shigella). This research suggests that ALP-2 from Atractylodes lancea may work through multiple pathways simultaneously — directly improving how cells handle glucose, protecting the liver from diabetic damage, and promoting a healthier gut bacterial environment. These findings indicate that ALP-2 could have potential applications in functional foods or pharmaceutical products targeting type 2 diabetes management, though further research including human clinical trials would be needed to confirm these effects in people.
Wang X, Zhao W, Li X, Guo L, Gao W. (2026). Structural characterization and hypoglycemic activity of a novel pectic polysaccharide extracted from Atractylodes lancea rhizome.. Carbohydrate polymers. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2026.125096