Abstract 4872: Gynostemma pentaphyllum saponins alter the gut microflora composition and convert dysbiosis to eubiosis state in xenograft nude mice.

Abstract

Abstract Increasing evidence has shown that the gut microflora may have a crucial role in many diseases, including cancers. In our previous studies, we have demonstrated that treatment with total saponins of Gynostemma pentaphyllum (GpS) exerts anti-cancer effects in cellular and animal models. Our study showed that an unnatural shift in the microflora composition was observed in nude mice with xenografted tumors induced by GFP/Ras cells. To investigate the potential association between the anti-cancer effect of GpS and the gut microflora, we first investigated whether GpS treatment would affect the microflora composition. Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus sequence-based PCR (ERIC-PCR) was used to analyze the bacterial genomic DNA from the fecal samples of the experimental mice. ERIC-PCR analysis revealed that gut microbiota communities were able to restore back to the non-tumor state (day 0)) after treatment with GpS for 10 days. In addition, we found that GpS treatment can increase the levels of certain beneficial bacteria, including Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. Furthermore, we defined the detailed changes in the gut microbiome by pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene sequences. We found that Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio showed an increased trend upon GpS treatment in xenograft nude mice. Furthermore, GpS altered certain species of bacteria, including the Clostridium cocleatum and Bacteroides acidifaciens, which have well-documented beneficial effects. In conclusion, this study has demonstrated GpS can potentially regulate and balance the gut microbial ecosystem by increasing symbionts. However, further investigation is required on whether this alteration of the gut microflora is the cause or consequence of the drug action. [This study was partially supported by FRG2/11-12/102 to WLWHsiao] Citation Format: Lei Chen, William C.S. Tai, Frederick CC Leung, Manreet Singh, W.L. Wendy Hsiao. Gynostemma pentaphyllum saponins alter the gut microflora composition and convert dysbiosis to eubiosis state in xenograft nude mice. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4872. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4872