Polysaccharide structural differences in Shenling Baizhu formulations and their therapeutic effects in ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome

Shenling Baizhu (SLBZ) Formula, a classical traditional Chinese medicine, has long been used to treat digestive disorders and has been reformulated into modern dosage forms to improve patient compliance. However, whether these different formulations provide comparable therapeutic efficacy remains unclear. Given that polysaccharides are major bioactive constituents of SLBZ—implicated in modulating intestinal immunity, suppressing inflammation, and regulating oxidative stress—we focused on polysaccharides to evaluate potential efficacy differences across formulations. We extracted polysaccharides from SLBZ powder, pill, and granule formulations, characterized their structures, and assessed their therapeutic effects in rodent models of ulcerative colitis (UC) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D). Polysaccharides from the powder and pill forms exhibited stronger anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities than those from granules. Structurally, the powder- and pill-derived polysaccharides showed higher levels of uronic acids, more complex monosaccharide profiles, and larger molecular weights, which may underlie their enhanced efficacy. These findings provide insights into the structure–activity relationship of SLBZ polysaccharides in these rodent models.