Study on the efficacy and mechanism of resistant dextrin combined with mulberry leaf extract in ameliorating type 2 diabetes mellitus

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) poses a global threat to public health. While dietary fiber and plant extracts have been individually shown to exert hypoglycemic effects, the potential synergistic impact of their combined intervention on T2DM has yet to be fully elucidated. T2DM model control (MC) mice were established by administering mice with high-fat diets and streptozotocin. Resistant dextrin and mulberry leaf extract (MR) significantly decreased fasting blood glucose (FBG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels compared with MC. Notably, MR lowered the FBG and HbA1c levels better than resistant dextrin or mulberry leaf extract alone. MR significantly upregulated hepatic mRNA expression involved in glycogen synthesis and glucose uptake while downregulating the genes related to gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis. Meanwhile, MR markedly improved gut microbiota diversity and selectively enriched bacterial taxa associated with SCFAs, such as acetic and propionic acids. Collectively, MR enhances glycemic control by modulating hepatic glucose metabolism, enriching SCFA-producing bacterial taxa, increasing SCFA levels, and alleviating insulin resistance.