Professo Nie Shaoping's Team Publishes Significant Research Findings in Nature Communications

       (State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources) On November 25th, the research team led by Professor Nie Shaoping from the State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Resources (SKLFSR) of Nanchang University, the China-Canada Joint Lab of Food Science and Technology, and the Key Laboratory of Bioactive Polysaccharides of Jiangxi Province, published significant findings in Nature Communications, an international academic journal. The paper, titled “Parabacteroides distasonis ameliorates insulin resistance via activation of intestinal GPR109a”, unveils the molecular mechanism by which the gut microbiota Parabacteroides distasonis ameliorates insulin resistance (IR) via activating intestinal G-protein-coupled receptor 109a (GPR109a). Dendrobium officinale polysaccharide (DOP) shows favorable growth-promoting effects on P. distasonis. This research provides theoretical guidance for further development of edible and medicinal products related to Dendrobium officinale, expanding its application in preventing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and related metabolic diseases, and offers new strategies for the treatment and prevention of metabolic diseases by bioactive dietary fiber affecting gut microbiota. 

The link of the paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-43622-3

IR is a physiological state in which insulin sensitivity decreases in target organs such as skeletal muscle, liver, and white adipose tissue, reducing glucose uptake and utilization, resulting in increased compensatory insulin secretion. IR is characteristic of the subject with T2DM, an epidemic projected to rise even further to 700 million by 2045. Preventing IR can effectively reduce the incidence of T2DM, but its pathogenesis remains unclear. Currently, it is widely accepted that obesity and chronic inflammation are important contributing factors to the development of IR. A long-term high-fat-diet (HFD) induces dysbiosis of gut microbiota and disrupts intestinal barrier function, leading to bacterial endotoxemia (LPS) leaking into the blood and activate toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) in liver or fat to induce tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) production. TNF-α directly affects insulin signaling transduction, which further impedes glucose uptake by cells and induces IR. Thus, fortifying intestinal barrier function can reduce LPS entry into the blood and slow the development of IR. Polysaccharides, indigestible by humans, can be degraded by gut microbiota, significantly and broadly impacting their composition and function. Against this backdrop, the researchers hypothesized that supplementing bioactive dietary fibers to selectively enrich beneficial bacteria to alleviate IR could be a novel treatment strategy.

DOP ameliorates intestinal barrier function and IR by targeting P. distasonis.

The researchers initially found a significant negative correlation between the abundance of P. distasonis and the degree of IR in a cohort study of Chinese T2DM patients. Subsequently, experiments in vitro and in vivo revealed that DOP can selectively enrich P. distasonis. A bacteria strain, P. distasonis NSP007, was identified as effective in mitigating IR. Further studies showed that P. distasonis NSP007 could protect intestinal barrier function and ameliorate IR by producing nicotinic acid (NA) to activate the GPR109a. Finally, the relationship between P. distasonis, NA, and IR was revalidated through independent cohort studies and reanalysis of public database.

It is the first time that SKLFSR has published a paper in Nature Communications as the first completion unit. Professor Nie Shaoping of Nanchang University is the corresponding author of the paper. Dr. Sun Yonggan, a postdoctoral fellow at the College of Food Science and Technology, Nanchang University, and Nie Qixing, a specially-appointed researcher at the SKLFSR, are the co-first authors of this paper. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China for Distinguished Young Scholars (31825020, S.P.N.), the Technological Project of Jiangxi Province (20232BCD44003, S.P.N.), the Technological Innovation Guidance Science and Technology Project of Jiangxi Province (20203AEI007, S.P.N.), the Key Technological Project of Jiangxi Province (20212AAF01005, S.P.N.), and Key Laboratory of Bioactive Polysaccharides of Jiangxi Province (20212BCD42016, S.P.N.).

[Further Reading] Profile of the Corresponding Author

Nie Shaoping, a CPC member, Ph.D., Professor, and Doctoral Supervisor, is a member of the Standing Committee and CPC Committee and Vice President of Nanchang University. He is a leading talent of the National High-level Personnel of Special Support Program, and a recipient of the Excellent Young Scientists Fund and the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of the National Natural Science Foundation of China. He is a National Young and Middle-aged Scientific and Technological Innovation Leading Talent of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and a talent included in the “New Century Excellent Talents Support Program” of the Ministry of Education. He is an Academic Leader of Major Disciplines in Jiangxi Province, a recipient of the Hundred-Thousand-Ten Thousand Talents Project of Jiangxi Province, and an expert who enjoys the special allowance of the State Council. He serves as a member of the 8th Food Science and Engineering Disciplinary Review Group of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Founding Editor-in-Chief of Food Frontiers, and an editorial board member of Food Science and Human Wellness and Journal of Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology. He is also a member of the Council of the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology.

His main research areas encompass food chemistry and nutrition, food safety and analysis, with a particular focus on the research and production of new products about complex carbohydrates in food (mainly bioactive polysaccharide and dietary fiber), food components and precision nutrition. He has led over 30 projects, including projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation and the National Key R&D Program. He has published more than 300 high-quality academic papers (including co-authored papers) as the first or corresponding author with an h-index of 63. He has edited 3 academic books in Chinese and English and has 36 invention patents. He has been acknowledged as a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate and a Highly Cited Chinese Researcher by Elsevier. He has received more than 10 awards, including 2 First Prizes of Natural Science of Jiangxi Province, 2 First Prizes of Science and Technology Progress of Jiangxi Province, 1 Second Prize of the National Natural Science Award of the Ministry of Education, 1 Second Prize of National Science and Technology Progress Award, 1 First Prize of Teaching Achievement of Jiangxi Province, and 2 Second Prizes of National Teaching Achievement Award.

Editor: Cheng Huiping

Executive Editor: Tu Jinfeng