Structural characterization of sulfated galactofucan from Undaria pinnatifida and its effect on type 2 diabetic mice

A sulfated galactofucan designated as UpG was obtained from the brown algae Undaria pinnatifida by calcium chloride extraction. Chemical analyses showed that UpG is composed of galactose and fucose at a high sulfation level. Low-molecular weight UpGP-0.5 was prepared from UpG through acid hydrolysis for structure characterization. The backbones of UpG are determined to be α-(1,3)-Fuc, α-(1,4)-Gal, α-(1,3)-Gal, and α-(1,6)-Gal by GC-MS, FT-IR, NMR, and LC-MS analyses. Sulfate groups are modified at C2 and/or C4 of fucose and C3 and/or C4 of galactose. UpG could partially lower blood sugar and serum lipid levels in type 2 diabetic mice. Moreover, UpG treatment regulates the abundance of some specific gut microbiota, such as enriching the abundance of Muribaculum and Christensenellaceae, and reducing that of Bilophila , Tannerellaceae, Candidatus Saccharimonas and Anaerotruncus . The findings characterized the detailed structure of a sulfated galactofucan and investigated its potential for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.