L-arabinose attenuates loperamide-induced constipation through regulation of gut microbiota in mice

L-arabinose is a plant-specific pentaose with variety functional properties. Here, the effects of L-arabinose on long-term constipation were investigated. According to the results, L-arabinose significantly attenuated loperamide induced-constipation by enhancing gastrointestinal motility and relieving the intestinal injury. Besides, L-arabinose reduced neutrophils proportion and inflammatory cytokines concentrations in constipated mice, exhibiting the immunomodulatory activity. Moreover, the 16S rRNA analysis showed that L-arabinose ameliorated the gut microbiota dysbiosis induced by loperamide and Lactobacillus was the most significant dominant strain at the genus level in L-arabinose group. The in vitro cultivation experiment confirmed that L-arabinose could be used directly by Lactobacillus for its proliferation. More importantly, L-arabinose failed to relieve constipation in mice with gut microbiota depletion, confirming the necessity of gut microbiota in L-arabinose initiated constipation treatment. In summary, L-arabinose can ameliorate the loperamide-induced constipation in mice through regulation of gut microbiota.