Characterization of sea buckthorn polysaccharides and the analysis of its regulatory effect on the gut microbiota imbalance induced by cefixime in mice

[Display omitted] •Sea buckthorn polysaccharides are acid polysaccharides with pyranose rings, with a Mw of 6.26 × 103 kDa.•Sea buckthorn polysaccharides can increase the abundance of beneficial bacteria and SCFAs content in the gut.•Sea buckthorn polysaccharides can help to restore the cefixime-induced gut microbiota disorder in mice. Sea buckthorn pomace is a by-product of sea buckthorn products that is not effectively utilized. This study obtained sea buckthorn polysaccharides (SPs) from pomace, analyzed its structure, and investigated its regulatory effect on the gut microbiota imbalance induced by cefixime. The results showed that SPs had an average molecular weight of 6.26 × 103 kDa and mainly consisted of galacturonic acid, galactose, and rhamnose. Biochemical analysis showed that SPs increased the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and the abundance of Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and Akkermanis in the gut of cefixime-treated mice. Correlation analysis suggested that various microorganisms had a significant (p