Abstract: Purpose: To investigate the effect of ginseng water-soluble dietary fiber (GSDF) on glucolipid metabolism and intestinal health in rats. Methods: SD rats were gavaged with GSDF or an equal volume of normal saline as a control for 15 days, and they were evaluated for growth performance, metabolism level and intestinal flora structure. Results: GSDF could significantly increase the feed intake of rats (P < 0.01), but had no significant effect on percent body mass gain, feed utilization rate or visceral organ indexes (P > 0.05). Low-dose GSDF significantly increased fasting insulin level (P < 0.05), and decreased total cholesterol level (P < 0.05). High-dose GSDF significantly reduced fasting blood glucose (P < 0.05) and total triglyceride level (P < 0.01). GSDF significantly reduced serum malondialdehyde content (P < 0.01), and improved total antioxidant capacity (P < 0.01). Low-dose GSDF significantly reduced the inflammatory factor levels including tumor necrosis factor α (P < 0.01), interleukin (IL) 1β (P < 0.05) and IL-4 (P < 0.01), and increased fecal water content (P < 0.05). Moreover, GSDF increased the abundance of intestinal Firmicutes and Lactobacillus, changing the structure of intestinal flora in the direction of enriching probiotics and cellulose-degrading bacteria, and affected the functional gene expression of related metabolic pathways. Conclusion: GSDF exerts a positive effect on rats by regulating growth metabolism, oxidative stress status and intestinal flora structure.

Key words: ginseng water-soluble dietary fiber; growth performance; glycolipid metabolism; oxidative stress; intestinal health