Preparation, characterization and improvement in intestinal function of polysaccharide fractions from okra

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of okra polysaccharides with similar molecular weight on intestinal ecology. After extraction, ethanol precipitation, deproteinization and purification, two polysaccharide fractions, named as water-extracted polysaccharides (WEP) and alkaline-extracted polysaccharides (AEP), were obtained. According to the results of high performance liquid chromatography, AEP contained mannose, rhamnose, galacturonic acid and galactose, while WEP was composed of galactose, rhamnose, fructose, arabinose, glucose, galacturonic acid and mannose. The compositions of intestinal microbiota were affected by the change of daily substrates. Meanwhile, the concentration of ammonia and gastrointestinal transit time decreased, the total short chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels, moisture of caecum content increased. These findings suggested that the effect of okra polysaccharides on intestinal microbiota was achieved by the output of detrimental compounds and the supply of nutrients. Besides, AEP supported a more pivotal role in manipulating gut microbiota than WEP.