| Summary: | Stachyose (ST), a naturally occurring compound extracted from cucumbers and legumes, holds great promise as a natural therapeutic agent. In this study, the impact of ST on blood deficiency syndrome (BDS) induced by cyclophosphamide (CP) and acetylphenylhydrazine (APH) was investigated in a rat model. Subsequently, the levels of erythropoietin (EPO), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were quantified in rat blood and peripheral blood cells. Furthermore, haematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was employed to elucidate morphological alterations in the spleen tissue. To gain comprehensive insights into the therapeutic potential and underlying mechanisms of ST against BDS, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing and serum and spleen metabolomic analyses. Our findings revealed a significant ameliorative effect of ST on BDS. Notably, at the phylum level, Firmicutes and Bacteroidota exhibited marked variations in abundance, while at the genus level, discernible changes were observed in the abundances of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, among others. The therapeutic effects of ST on BDS were proposed to be due to its modulation of phenylalanine metabolism and glycine, serine and threonine metabolism and its impact on the restructuring of the gut microbiota.
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