Abstract
Objective Shenling Baizhu San (SLBZS) is reported as an effective drug for ulcerative colitis (UC); however, its effect on intestinal flora remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of SLBZS on intestinal flora in a rat model of UC with spleen deficiency and dampness. Methods UC was induced in rats using 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid on the basis of a model of spleen deficiency and dampness. The 16S rDNA sequencing was used to detect structural changes in the intestinal flora; the phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved state (PICRUSt) analysis was used to predict the altered pathways. Results Compared with the model group, rats in the SLBZS group exhibited decreased levels of TNF-α(P < 0.05), and increased abundance and diversity of the intestinal flora. The abundance of Actinobacteria (P < 0.001) and Bacteroides (P < 0.01) increased and that of Firmicutes decreased (P < 0.001), and the abundance of Bifidobacterium(P < 0.05) and Allobaculum increased. PICRUSt analysis showed that the altered pathways between the groups were those of fatty acid and antibiotic biosynthesis, amino acid metabolism, and the pentose phosphate pathway. Conclusions SLBZS can regulate the structure and function of the intestinal flora, alter expression levels of certain metabolic pathways, and has the potential to treat UC.
Highlights
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, nonspecific inflammatory disease that affects the colorectal mucosa. e main clinical manifestations of UC are diarrhea and bloody mucus in stools. e pathogenesis of UC remains unclear but is generally believed to involve environmental factors, genetic susceptibility, immune status, intestinal flora, and intestinal barrier function [1,2,3].At present, the treatment of patients with UC is mainly based on Western medicine and includes the use of 5aminosalicylic acid preparations, cortisol hormones, immunosuppressants, and biological agents, which induce and maintain clinical remission of UC
Whether it is initial or recurrent UC, spleen deficiency and dampness are more common, and they are mutually cause and effect. e theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) believes that the occurrence of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine spleen deficiency and dampness syndrome is generally closely related to factors such as exogenous dampness, eating disorder, fatigue, internal injury, or emotional disorder [9]
Studies showed that compared with mesalazine in the treatment of UC, Shenling Baizhu San (SLBZS) is significantly better in terms of clinical efficacy, intestinal mucosal changes under colonoscopy, and occurrence of adverse reactions [10, 11]
Summary
Shenling Baizhu San (SLBZS) is reported as an effective drug for ulcerative colitis (UC); its effect on intestinal flora remains unknown. We investigated the effect of SLBZS on intestinal flora in a rat model of UC with spleen deficiency and dampness. UC was induced in rats using 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid on the basis of a model of spleen deficiency and dampness. E 16S rDNA sequencing was used to detect structural changes in the intestinal flora; the phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved state (PICRUSt) analysis was used to predict the altered pathways. Compared with the model group, rats in the SLBZS group exhibited decreased levels of TNF-α (P < 0.05), and increased abundance and diversity of the intestinal flora. SLBZS can regulate the structure and function of the intestinal flora, alter expression levels of certain metabolic pathways, and has the potential to treat UC
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