Metabolomics analysis of alloxan-induced diabetes in mice using UPLC–Q-TOF-MS after Crassostrea gigas polysaccharide treatment

Abstract Diabetes has become a global and serious health issues which causes a variety of complications. This study aims to explore the hypoglycemic effect of Crassostrea gigas polysaccharide (CGPS) and the dynamic changes in the endogenous small molecule metabolites of urine from normal group, model group and CGPS high dose group by metabolomic approach (UPLC–Q-TOF-MS). In our study, the CGPS treatment could reduce the fasting blood glucose levels and recover the triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and glycosylated serum protein (GSP) levels in serum of diabetic mice. Urine samples in normal group, model group and CGPS high dose group were dispersed in the PLS-DA score plots. Nineteen metabolites in urine such as l -carnitine, hippuric acid, pantothenate and ornithine were selected as potential therapeutic biomarkers and related metabolic pathways of CGPS for treating diabetes. They were mainly involved in amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism and purine metabolism. These data suggested that CGPS has antidiabetic activity and urine metabolites provided new understanding of CGPS for treating diabetes and its complications.