Effects of pectin with distinct structural characteristics on gut microbiota composition and metabolite profiles in naive mice

Ping Zou; Yuanyuan Zhao; Dan Wang; Wenting Zhao; Zhiwen Ge; Pan Wang; Xiaoyan Zhao

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.145513

Effects of pectin with distinct structural characteristics on gut microbiota composition and metabolite profiles in naive mice

Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 Jun 24:145513. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.145513. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Ping Zou¹, Yuanyuan Zhao², Dan Wang³, Wenting Zhao⁴, Zhiwen Ge⁵, Pan Wang⁶, Xiaoyan Zhao⁷

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Agri-food Processing and Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Agricultural Products of Fruits and Vegetables Preservation and Processing, Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100097, China; College of Food Science, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110866, China.
² Institute of Agri-food Processing and Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Agricultural Products of Fruits and Vegetables Preservation and Processing, Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100097, China.
³ Institute of Agri-food Processing and Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Agricultural Products of Fruits and Vegetables Preservation and Processing, Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100097, China. Electronic address: wangdan@iapn.org.cn.
⁴ Institute of Agri-food Processing and Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Agricultural Products of Fruits and Vegetables Preservation and Processing, Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100097, China. Electronic address: zhaowenting@iapn.org.cn.
⁵ Institute of Agri-food Processing and Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Agricultural Products of Fruits and Vegetables Preservation and Processing, Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100097, China. Electronic address: gezhiwen@iapn.org.cn.
⁶ Institute of Agri-food Processing and Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Agricultural Products of Fruits and Vegetables Preservation and Processing, Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100097, China. Electronic address: wp_6767@126.com.
⁷ Institute of Agri-food Processing and Nutrition, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Agricultural Products of Fruits and Vegetables Preservation and Processing, Key Laboratory of Vegetable Postharvest Processing, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100097, China. Electronic address: zxy_nercv@163.com.

PMID: 40571007
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.145513

Abstract

Pectin, a dietary polysaccharide, has been proven to have numerous health benefits. However, the relationship between pectin's structure characteristics-specifically degree of esterification (DE) and molecular weight (MW)- and their influence on gut microbiota ecology remains incompletely understood. This study investigated the effects of four structurally distinct citrus pectins varying in DE (T26: 26 %, T36: 36 %, T52: 52 %, and T71: 71 %) and corresponding MW (T26: 394 kDa, T36: 752 kDa, T52: 929 kDa, and T71:1099 kDa) on intestinal microbiota composition in healthy murine models. While physiological parameters remained unchanged across treatment groups. 16s rRNA Sequencing analysis revealed that low-esterification pectin enhanced the abundance of Dubosiella, whereas high-esterification pectin variants increased Faecalibaculum and Bifidobacterium abundance. Notably, the abundance of Allobaculum exhibited a positive correlation with both DE and MW of pectin, whereas Akkermansia and Mucispirillum demonstrated negative correlations with these structural parameters. Metabolomic profiling of fecal samples revealed distinct patterns of microbial-derived metabolites across treatment groups. Low-esterification pectins (T26, T36) significantly elevated concentrations of 4-(2-aminophenyl)-2,4-dioxobutanoic acid and inositol cyclic phosphate, while high-esterification variants (T52, T71) enhanced 3-(Indol-3-yl) propionic acid and indole-3-acetic acid production. These data provide evidence for differential effects of different types of pectin on the gut microbiota and metabolic health.

Keywords: Gut microbiota; Pectin esterification; Tryptophan metabolite.