Activated carbon ameliorates type 2 diabetes via metabolic remodeling of the gut microbiota

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a major public health concern worldwide, and there has been increasing attention on the role of natural dietary drugs in diabetes therapy. However, the effects of these drugs on gut microbial composition, functional potentials, and metabolisms remain unclear. Improved carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism, regulated inflammatory mediators, with simultaneous reduction in detrimental compounds were observed in the significantly promoted group of gut bacteria after conducting integrated 16S rRNA sequencing and metabolomic analyses in T2D Goto-Kakizak (GK) rats and healthy Wistar rats that were exposed to four natural dietary drugs (highly porous activated carbon, wheatgrass, dandelion, and corn stigma), while the endotoxin-producing bacteria were inhibited by dietary drugs, especially for the activated carbon diet, which resulted in metabolic changes and anti-inflammatory effects that decreased both high-fat diet-induced obesity and blood glucose. These findings highlight the effectiveness of natural dietary drugs, with a particular emphasis on activated carbon, and establish a foundation for tailoring the use of these drugs in T2D therapy.IMPORTANCEOur findings highlight the significant hypoglycemic effect of activated carbon, demonstrating its potential to remodel the gut microbiota, improve carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism, regulate inflammatory mediators, and reduce detrimental compounds such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). These results suggest that dietary intervention with activated carbon could be a noninvasive and accessible method for improving diabetes management, providing novel insights into the role of natural dietary drugs in metabolic health and diabetes therapy.