To study the effect of okra aqueous extract on the intestinal flora of diabetic rats. Taking normal SD rats as CK group, diabetic rats induced by 40 mg/(kg•bw) streptozotocin (STZ) intraperitoneally as M group, normal and diabetic rats gavaged with 500 mg/(kg•bw) okra aqueous extract were CKO and MO groups,respectively. The bacterial flora of the cecum contents of rats was analyzed with 16S rRNA V3-V4 sequencing after 8 weeks of the experiment. Compared with CK, M increased Firmicutes 14.00% and decreased Proteobacteria 19.32% (P <0.01). Compared with M, MO down-regulated Lachnospiraceae 2.64% (such as Blautia, Anaerostipes), up-regulated Peptostreptococcaceae 1.20% in Firmicutes, and down-regulated Desulfovibrioceae 3.78% (such as Desulfovibrio) and up-regulated Burkholderia 5.24% (such as Parasutterella) in Proteobacteria. It is worth noting that MO up-regulated Christensenellaceae (LDA>4), which was negatively correlated with body mass index, inflammation, and metabolic syndrome. The okra aqueous extract reverses the changes of the intestinal flora of STZ-induced diabetic rats, which decreased Firmicutes and increased Proteobacteria by down-regulating Lachnospiraceae and Desulfovibrionaceae, up-regulating Burkholderiaceae, Christensenellaceae. The okra aqueous extract has the potential as a functional food with regulating intestinal microecology balance of diabetes.
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