Sprouted Wheat Improves Liver Metabolism and Inflammation in T2DM Mice: 16S rRNA Gene Sequence, Metabolomics and Network Pharmacology Joint Analysis

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has become a global metabolic disorder, and sprouted wheat (SW) exhibits potential for alleviating metabolic syndromes, although its mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of SW on T2DM using a high-fat diet-induced T2DM mouse model. SW intervention significantly improved glycolipid metabolism disorders (<i>p</i> < 0.05), attenuated hepatic mitochondrial injury (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and maintained hepatic homeostasis. SW also reshaped the gut microbiota structure and inhibited the TLR4/NF-κB inflammatory pathway (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Untargeted metabolomics combined with network pharmacology identified five key functional metabolites and four core targets involved in the protective effects of SW. Germination optimized the nutritional composition of wheat, and SW regulated the microbe-liver axis through a multi-component, multi-target and multi-pathway mode. These results reveal the mechanism of SW in improving T2DM-related metabolic disorders and provide experimental support for its application. In the future, SW can be further developed as a dietary nutritional supplement for the prevention and adjuvant treatment of metabolic diseases.