Li Weihua, Li Hongbing, Wu Jing, Jia Chenggang, Lei Yanli
College of Basic Medicine, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, China.
Laboratory Animal Centre, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 750004, China.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 28;15(1):27450. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-12090-8.
Acrylonitrile (ACN), a prevalent environmental pollutant, is associated with disruptions in male reproductive health. Recently, Portulaca oleracea polysaccharide (POP) has garnered considerable attention for its ability to modulate gut microbiota and demonstrate antioxidative properties. However, its the mechanisms of reproductive damage remain poorly understood. To investigate POP's protective effects against ACN-induced reproductive damage, we orally gavaged ACN to male mice (26 mg/kg) to induce reproductive toxicity, then intervened with POP (200 mg/kg). This study assessed the impact of ACN exposure and evaluated POP intervention on gut microbiota, Metabolic Profiles, and reproductive function. We performed 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of fecal samples (n = 6 ACN, POP and healthy controls) and untargeted metabolomic profiling using LC-MS analysis in mice exposed to ACN and treated with POP. Compared with controls, ACN exposure induced significant gut microbiota dysbiosis, characterized by altered relative abundances of specific genera, including Lactobacillus, recombinant Escherichia coli HT002, Alloprevotella, Rikenella, Clostridia_UCG-014, Turicibacter, and Lactococcus. These changes were accompanied by metabolic disturbances, including a significant decrease in the metabolite 2-aminopropenoic acid (VIP > 1, p < 0.05 and fold change (FC) > 1.2), which was significantly increased following POP intervention (p < 0.05). Furthermore, POP alleviated ACN-induced testicular tissue damage, oxidative stress, disruption in glucose-lipid and energy metabolism, and improved the sperm capacitation rate. Integrative analyses revealed a strong association between gut microbiota imbalance, metabolic alterations, and reproductive dysfunction, highlighting the protective role of POP in mitigating ACN-induced adverse effects. These findings demonstrate that POP protects reproductive health by mitigating toxin-induced damage and potentially enhancing reproductive function under environmental and metabolic stress. It also holds promise for functional food and drug development.
丙烯腈（ACN）是一种常见的环境污染物，与男性生殖健康紊乱有关。最近，马齿苋多糖（POP）因其调节肠道微生物群的能力和抗氧化特性而备受关注。然而，其生殖损伤机制仍知之甚少。为了研究POP对ACN诱导的生殖损伤的保护作用，我们给雄性小鼠口服ACN（26 mg/kg）以诱导生殖毒性，然后用POP（200 mg/kg）进行干预。本研究评估了ACN暴露的影响，并评估了POP干预对肠道微生物群、代谢谱和生殖功能的影响。我们对粪便样本（n = 6，ACN组、POP组和健康对照组）进行了16S rRNA基因扩增子测序，并对暴露于ACN并接受POP治疗的小鼠进行了基于液相色谱-质谱分析的非靶向代谢组学分析。与对照组相比，ACN暴露导致显著的肠道微生物群失调，其特征是特定属的相对丰度发生改变，包括乳酸杆菌属、重组大肠杆菌HT002、别普雷沃菌属、理研菌属、梭菌属_UCG-014、Turicibacter菌属和乳球菌属。这些变化伴随着代谢紊乱，包括代谢物2-氨基丙烯酸显著减少（VIP > 1，p < 0.05且变化倍数（FC）> 1.2），POP干预后该代谢物显著增加（p < 0.05）。此外，POP减轻了ACN诱导的睾丸组织损伤、氧化应激、糖脂和能量代谢紊乱，并提高了精子获能率。综合分析揭示了肠道微生物群失衡、代谢改变与生殖功能障碍之间的密切关联，突出了POP在减轻ACN诱导的不良反应方面的保护作用。这些发现表明，POP通过减轻毒素诱导的损伤并在环境和代谢应激下潜在地增强生殖功能来保护生殖健康。它在功能性食品和药物开发方面也具有前景。
