Effect of Durio zibethinus rind polysaccharide on functional constipation and intestinal microbiota in rats

The prevalence of constipation increases rapidly with the increased pressure of some people’s life, which seriously affects the quality of life in related patients. In this study, the improvement of functional constipation by Durio zibethinus Murr rind polysaccharide (DZMP) and the effects of DZMP on intestinal microbiota were investigated in a constipation model of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats established by loperamide hydrochloride. Results showed that DZMP at 200 mg/kg could significantly (P < 0.05) increase the intestinal transit rate, motilin, gastrin, substance P levels and concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), reduce the somatostatin levels and improve the gastrointestinal peristalsis of rats. Sequencing showed that the Lachnospiraceae-NK4A136-group in the rats given 200 mg/kg DZMP (16.07%) was significantly higher than that of the model group (10.13%), while the Desulfovibrio was lower (2.99%) than that of the model group (4.19%). Principal co-ordinates analysis (PcoA) revealed a significant difference in intestinal microbiota composition between the model group and the high-dose DZMP group (200 mg/kg). The results demonstrated that DZMP has a regulatory effect of treating functional constipation and regulating intestinal flora in rats.