Food and Fermentation Industries >

2026 , Vol. 52 >Issue 7: 44 - 55

DOI: https://doi.org/10.13995/j.cnki.11-1802/ts.044735

Polygonatum kingianum polysaccharides potentiate the cognitive-protective effects of postbiotic Limosilactobacillus reuteri in rats fed a high-fat-high-sugar diet

  • LIU Tianqi ,
  • ZHANG Shiyi ,
  • YAN Qixin ,
  • LAN Zhilong ,
  • ZHOU Lanqi ,
  • LYU Jiayao ,
  • DAI Xiaoshuang ,
  • TIAN Honglei ,
  • SHI Lin
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  • 1(School of Food Engineering and Nutritional Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China)
    2(Xbiome Co. Ltd., Shenzhen 518000, China)

Received date: 2025-10-06

  Revised date: 2025-11-06

  Online published: 2026-04-17

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Abstract

Postbiotics could offer advantages over live probiotics and synbiotics in terms of processing stability, storage viability and safety.Polygonatum kingianum Coll.et Hemsl, a traditional medicinal and edible plant in China, is rich in polysaccharides (PKP), which not only possess hypoglycemic and lipid-lowering properties but also serve as an excellent carbon source for probiotic growth.In this study, PKP was co-cultured with Limosilactobacillus reuteri WX-94 (L.reuteri), a strain isolated from healthy human feces with notable anti-inflammatory activity, for preparing the postbiotic (PKP-L.reuteri).We evaluated its protective effects against cognitive impairment induced by high-fat-high-sucrose (HFHS) diet in rats.After eight weeks of intervention, PKP-L.reuteri significantly alleviated HFHS-induced cognitive decline, hippocampal inflammation, and Nissl body damage.It also improved lipid metabolism disorders, reduced levels of hippocampal inflammatory factors (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β) and LPS, and enhanced antioxidant capacity by increasing superoxide dismutase and reduced glutathione levels, thereby mitigating oxidative stress in brain tissue.These effects were superior to those of the synbiotic (PKP+L.reuteri) and the postbiotic prepared with MRS medium (MRS-L.reuteri).Moreover, PKP-L.reuteri downregulated the expression of hippocampal Toll-like receptor 4, NLR family pyrin domain containing 3, and myeloid differentiation primary response 88, while upregulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor.PKP-L.reuteri also reshaped the gut microbiota structure by increasing the abundance of beneficial genera such as Lactobacillus and Prevotella, while reducing conditionally pathogenic bacteria including Helicobacter and Oscillospira.This modulation was accompanied by increased production of short-chain fatty acids, particularly butyrate and propionate.Specific changes in gut microbiota and SCFAs were significantly correlated with behavioral and hippocampal indicators.Our study reveals that PKP, synergizing with L.reuteri postbiotics, alleviate Western-style diet-induced cognitive impairment by enhancing brain-derived neurotrophic factor, reshaping gut microbiota, and boosting short-chain fatty acid levels via suppression of the TLR4/NLRP3/MyD88 signaling pathway, thereby offering a novel perspective for cognitive health nutritional interventions.

Key words： Polygonatum kingianum polysaccharides; Limosilactobacillus reuteri; postbiotics; gut microbiota; cognition

Cite this article

LIU Tianqi , ZHANG Shiyi , YAN Qixin , LAN Zhilong , ZHOU Lanqi , LYU Jiayao , DAI Xiaoshuang , TIAN Honglei , SHI Lin . Polygonatum kingianum polysaccharides potentiate the cognitive-protective effects of postbiotic Limosilactobacillus reuteri in rats fed a high-fat-high-sugar diet[J]. Food and Fermentation Industries, 2026 , 52(7) : 44 -55 . DOI: 10.13995/j.cnki.11-1802/ts.044735

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