Impact of chitosan oligosaccharide on microbiota-metabolite-immune axis in natural aging.

ABSTRACT: Natural aging involves an imbalance in gut bacteria, changes in metabolism, and mild ongoing inflammation. The integrated impact of chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) on microbiota-metabolite-immune interactions in a physiological (non-accelerated) aging context remains unclear. In this study, male C57BL/6J mice (young control; aged vehicle; aged +COS from 10 to 18 months) underwent longitudinal assessment including 16S rRNA profiling, untargeted serum metabolomics, multiplex cytokine measurement, and colonic p53 and p21 immunohistochemistry. The results showed that COS was associated with restructuring of gut community composition, with reduced Firmicutes (67.07% to 32.93%) and increased Bacteroidota (15.29% to 31.22%), alongside marked enrichment of Muribaculaceae (to 52.83%).

SUBMITTER: Liu W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12876160 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature