Rosa rugosa polysaccharide attenuates alcoholic liver disease in mice through the gut-liver axis

In the present work, the protective effect of polysaccharide from Rosa rugosa (RRP) on acute alcoholic liver disease (ALD) was investigated. The viscera index, liver function and H&E staining results showed that RRP had a protective effect on ALD mice. RRP can increase activities of SOD, GSH, GSH-Px and decrease the content of NO, MDA in ALD mice. At the same time, the serum levels of IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α were decreased in ALD mice treated with RRP. Our results suggested that RRP significantly prevented alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity as the concentration rises. In this study, 16S rRNA sequencing technology was used to explore the effect of RRP on the gut microbiota in ALD mice. It was found that RRP can reduce the pathogenic Gammaproteobacteria and Patescibacteria but increase the beneficial gut Firmicute and Lachnospira, thereby maintain the relative stability of the gut microbiota by adjusting the gut-liver axis. This research not only opens up a new idea for the research on the efficient utilization of resources and physiological activity of Rosa rugosa, but also provides theoretical references for the search and development of natural liver-protecting drugs. [Display omitted] •Rosa rugosa polysaccharide (RRP) can protect acute alcoholic liver disease (ALD) by enhancing the liver function.•RRP can inhibit the production of cytokines in the serum to protect the liver.•RRP protects acute ALD by increasing the dominant gut microbiota and reducing the proportion of harmful microbiota.•RRP attenuates alcoholic liver disease in mice through the gut-liver axis.