Shaodan Sun1,2, Yang Yang3,4, Xiaojie Lin5, Peiwen Chen6, Liyan Ye6, Liying Zeng6, Qina Ye7, Xiangna Yang7, Jingtu Ceng8, Jiayi Shan6, Li Xie6, Meirong Jiang6, Fei Luo6, Xiaogang Chen6,9. 1. The Second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510120, China. 2. Lingnan Medical Research Center, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510407, China. 3. Affiliated Jiangmen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Ji'nan University, Ji'nan University, Jiangmen 529000, China. 4. Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine Postdoctoral Research Station, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China. 5. Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510120, China. 6. Department of Pediatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, China. 7. Guangzhou Institute of Pediatrics, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou 510407, China. 8. Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310012, China. 9. Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, China.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Qiweibaizhu decoction (QBD), a classic Chinese herbal formula, has been widely used for treating diarrhea in infants and children with spleen deficiency syndrome for centuries, but its mechanism of action remains unclear. The gut microbiota, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and intestinal mucus are closely associated with diarrhea. METHODS: In this study, the composition of the gut microbiota in diarrheal rats was analyzed by 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing. The concentrations of colon SCFAs were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The expression of mucin 2 (MUC2) in the colon was detected by immunofluorescence. RESULTS: Diarrhea significantly changed the diversity and structure of the gut microbiota and disrupted the mucus barrier in juvenile rats. QBD did not significantly change the diversity and structure of the intestinal flora, but it enhanced the increasing tendencies of Verrucomicrobia and Akkermansia and decreased the abundance of Turicibacter (P=0.037) and Flavonifractor (P=0.043). QBD tends to repair the mucus layer and promote MUC2 expression in juvenile rats with diarrhea. Moreover, S. boulardii significantly increased the abundance of Parasutterella (P=0.043). In addition, QBD treatment tends to increase the propionic acid concentration during diarrhea, but its levels of acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, and total SCFAs were lower than those in the S. boulardii group. CONCLUSION: S. boulardii significantly increased the abundance of Parasutterella, leading to increased production of acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid, consequently leading to alleviation of diarrhea. In comparison, QBD affected diarrhea via regulation of the intestinal flora, especially by increasing the abundance of Verrucomicrobia and Akkermansia, resulting in mucus barrier repair, protection of the intestines, and treatment of diarrhea.
BACKGROUND: Qiweibaizhu decoction (QBD), a classic Chinese herbal formula, has been widely used for treating diarrhea in infants and children with spleen deficiency syndrome for centuries, but its mechanism of action remains unclear. The gut microbiota, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and intestinal mucus are closely associated with diarrhea. METHODS: In this study, the composition of the gut microbiota in diarrheal rats was analyzed by 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing. The concentrations of colon SCFAs were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The expression of mucin 2 (MUC2) in the colon was detected by immunofluorescence. RESULTS: Diarrhea significantly changed the diversity and structure of the gut microbiota and disrupted the mucus barrier in juvenile rats. QBD did not significantly change the diversity and structure of the intestinal flora, but it enhanced the increasing tendencies of Verrucomicrobia and Akkermansia and decreased the abundance of Turicibacter (P=0.037) and Flavonifractor (P=0.043). QBD tends to repair the mucus layer and promote MUC2 expression in juvenile rats with diarrhea. Moreover, S. boulardii significantly increased the abundance of Parasutterella (P=0.043). In addition, QBD treatment tends to increase the propionic acid concentration during diarrhea, but its levels of acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, and total SCFAs were lower than those in the S. boulardii group. CONCLUSION: S. boulardii significantly increased the abundance of Parasutterella, leading to increased production of acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid, consequently leading to alleviation of diarrhea. In comparison, QBD affected diarrhea via regulation of the intestinal flora, especially by increasing the abundance of Verrucomicrobia and Akkermansia, resulting in mucus barrier repair, protection of the intestines, and treatment of diarrhea.
Authors: Gregor Gorkiewicz; Gerhard G Thallinger; Slave Trajanoski; Stefan Lackner; Gernot Stocker; Thomas Hinterleitner; Christian Gülly; Christoph Högenauer Journal: PLoS One Date: 2013-02-08 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Mihai Pop; Alan W Walker; Joseph Paulson; Brianna Lindsay; Martin Antonio; M Anowar Hossain; Joseph Oundo; Boubou Tamboura; Volker Mai; Irina Astrovskaya; Hector Corrada Bravo; Richard Rance; Mark Stares; Myron M Levine; Sandra Panchalingam; Karen Kotloff; Usman N Ikumapayi; Chinelo Ebruke; Mitchell Adeyemi; Dilruba Ahmed; Firoz Ahmed; Meer Taifur Alam; Ruhul Amin; Sabbir Siddiqui; John B Ochieng; Emmanuel Ouma; Jane Juma; Euince Mailu; Richard Omore; J Glenn Morris; Robert F Breiman; Debasish Saha; Julian Parkhill; James P Nataro; O Colin Stine Journal: Genome Biol Date: 2014-06-27 Impact factor: 13.583