Abstract
BackgroundThe standardized herbal preparation, STW 5, is effective clinically in functional gastrointestinal disorders and experimentally in ulcerative colitis (UC). The present study explores whether the beneficial effect of STW 5 involves influencing the intestinal microbiota.MethodsUC was induced in Wistar rats by feeding them 5% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) in drinking water for 7 days. Rats were treated concurrently with STW 5 and sacrificed 24 h after last drug administration. Fecal samples were used to determine changes in the abundance of selected microbial phyla and genera using real-time PCR.ResultsInduction of UC led to dysbiosis and changes in the gut microbiota. The changes included an increase in some genera of the Firmicutes, namely Enterococcus, and a decrease in others, namely Blautia, Clostridium, and Lactobacillus. DSS further induced a marked increase in the abundance of Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria as well as in the relative abundance of Actinobacteria and its genus Bifidobacterium. Methanobrevibacter levels (phylum Euryarchaeota) were also increased. Microbial dysbiosis was associated with changes in various parameters of colonic inflammation. STW 5 effectively guarded against those changes and significantly affected the indices of edema and inflammation in the UC model. Changes in colon length, colon mass index, inflammatory and apoptotic markers, and histological changes induced by DSS were also prevented.ConclusionsDysbiosis plays a contributing role in the development of DSS-induced UC. Derangements in the microbial flora and associated inflammatory processes were largely prevented by STW 5, suggesting that this effect might contribute towards its beneficial usefulness in this condition.
Highlights
The standardized herbal preparation, STW 5, is effective clinically in functional gastrointestinal disorders and experimentally in ulcerative colitis (UC)
Colitis induced by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) in rats mimics the clinical and histological features of UC by interfering with intestinal barrier function and stimulating local inflammatory processes [3]
Colon mass index, colon histology, inflammatory and apoptotic biomarkers Induction of colitis led to a reduction in rat colon length by approximately 20% (Fig. 1a)
Summary
The standardized herbal preparation, STW 5, is effective clinically in functional gastrointestinal disorders and experimentally in ulcerative colitis (UC). Colitis induced by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) in rats mimics the clinical and histological features of UC by interfering with intestinal barrier function and stimulating local inflammatory processes [3]. It has been postulated that the gut microbiota imbalance (dysbiosis) could initiate immune responses by compromising the mucosal barrier and stimulating local and systemic immunity [5, 6]. This fact qualifies the DSS model to be used as a dysbiosis model [7]
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