BACKGROUND The exopolysaccharides (EPS) produced by Lactobacillus and other probiotics are associated with many benefits, such as immune regulation, antioxidant properties, antitumor effect, and regulation of intestinal microbe homeostasis. In the present study, the modulatory effect of EPS produced by Lactobacillus rhamnosus ZFM231 on the intestinal flora of mice with inflammatory bowel disease induced by dextran sulfate solution was investigated. RESULTS Results indicated that weight loss, colonic length, the disease activity index score and colonic tissue damage in mice were significantly improved by EPS treatment. Compared with the model group, in the EPS‐treated group, the diversity of and the composition of gut microbiota at both phylum and genus levels were found to recover to the levels of normal group, indicating the effective modulation on gut microbiota by EPS; short‐chain fatty acids, including acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid produced by intestinal microbial metabolism, increased significantly; the level of anti‐inflammatory factor transforning growth factor‐β significantly increased and the level of pro‐inflammatory factor tumor necrosis factor‐α significantly decreased in the colonic cells of EPS‐treated mice. CONCLUSION It is clear that EPS produced by L. rhamnosus ZFM231 could find application in functional foods with the property of anti‐ulcerative colitis. The experimental results provide new insights into the probiotic effect of EPS. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

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Sargassum fusiforme polysaccharide (SFP) is a kind of biologically active macromolecule with biological functions. In this study, oxidative stress and high‐fat HepG2 cell models were established to investigate its lipid‐lowering activity and mechanism of action. It was found that SFP and its two isolated fractions had antioxidant effects on the cells. It was also found the polysaccharides decreased the content of total cholesterol and total triglyceride in the high‐fat cells. RT‐qPCR assays revealed that the three polysaccharides down‐regulated the mRNA expression level of ACC, PPARγ, and SREBP‐2. It could be concluded that the hypolipidemic effect of SFPs is achieved via multiple pathways, including the regulation on the expression level of lipid metabolism‐related key enzymes and factors, and binding with bile acids. The hypolipidemic effect of SFPs could be partially due to their antioxidant activity. SFPs developed in the present work have potential as ingredients of functional foods with hypolipidemic effect.