Prebiotic effects of goji berry in protection against inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

The prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing, which is concerning because IBD is a known risk factor for the development of colorectal cancer. Emerging evidence highlights environmental factors, particularly dietary factors and gut microbiota dysbiosis, as pivotal inducers of IBD onset. Goji berry, an ancient tonic food and a nutraceutical supplement, contains a range of phytochemicals such as polysaccharides, carotenoids, and polyphenols. Among these phytochemicals, L. barbarum polysaccharides (LBPs) are the most important functional constituents, which have protective effects against oxidative stress, inflammation, and neurodegeneration. Recently, the beneficial effects of goji berry and associated LBPs consumption were linked to prebiotic effects, which can prevent dysbiosis associated with IBD. This review assessed pertinent literature on the protective effects of goji berry against IBD focusing on the gut microbiota and their metabolites in mediating the observed beneficial effects.

Keywords:

• Anti-inflammation
• antioxidant
• gut microbiota
• Lycium barbarum
• metabolites
• polysaccharides
• prebiotics

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by National Institutes of USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) (2018-67017-27517) and Washington State University Agricultural Research Center Emerging Research Issues Competitive Grant.