Polysaccharide ORP-1 isolated from Oudemansiella raphanipes ameliorates age-associated intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction in Caco-2 cells monolayer

Age-associated increase in intestinal permeability is known to relate with gut microbiota dysbiosis and loss of epithelial tissue integrity. To improve healthy aging and prevent age-associated chronic disabilities, the protective potential of polysaccharides from Oudemansiella raphanipes (ORP-1) against age-associated intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction in d-galactose-induced Caco-2 cells monolayer was investigated. In-vitro results demonstrated that ORP-1 can restore a healthy gut microbial population to handle age-related gut microbiota dysbiosis mainly by facilitating the proliferation and adhesion of probiotics Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus) and Bifidobacterium bifidum (B. bifidum) to compete with intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) for ecological niches and nutrition. Meanwhile, ORP-1 strengthened the intestinal structural integrity primarily by abolishing the aggravation of apoptosis and the age-associated alterations of tight junction (TJ) proteins expression in intestine. These findings highlighted that ORP-1 could be a potential functional food component with preventive utility against age-associated intestinal barrier injury.