Abstract
Background Accumulative evidence showed that gut microbiota was important in regulating the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Hugan Qingzhi tablet (HQT), a lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory medicinal formula, has been used to prevent and treat NAFLD. However, its mechanism of action is unknown. The aim of this study was to confirm whether HQT reversed the gut microbiota dysbiosis in NAFLD rats. Methods We established an NAFLD model of rats fed with a high-fat diet (HFD), which was given different interventions, and measured the level of liver biochemical indices and inflammatory factors. Liver tissues were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and oil red O. Changes in the gut microbiota composition were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing. Results The hepatic histology and biochemical data displayed that HQT exhibited protective effects on HFD-induced rats. Moreover, HQT also reduced the abundance of the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio in HFD-fed rats and modified the gut microbial species at the genus level, increasing the abundances of gut microbiota which were reported to have an effect on relieving NAFLD, such as Ruminococcaceae, Bacteroidales_S24-7_group, Bifidobacteria, Alistipes, and Anaeroplasma, and significantly inhibiting the relative abundance of Enterobacteriaceae, Streptococcus, Holdemanella, Allobaculum, and Blautia, which were reported to be potentially related to NAFLD. Spearman's correlation analysis found that [Ruminococcus]_gauvreauii_group, Lachnoclostridium, Blautia, Allobaculum, and Holdemanella exhibited significant (p < 0.001) positive correlations with triglyceride, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, interleukin-6, interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and body weight and negative correlations with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p < 0.001). The norank_f__Bacteroidales_S24-7_group and Alistipes showed an opposite trend. Moreover, the HQT could promote flavonoid biosynthesis compared with the HFD group. Conclusion In summary, the HQT has potential applications in the prevention and treatment of NAFLD, which may be closely related to its modulatory effect on the gut microbiota.
Highlights
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common, multifactorial, and poorly understood liver disease with an increasing incidence globally [1]
Hugan Qingzhi tablet (HQT) were provided by Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University (SMU) (Guangzhou, China). 70% ethanol (1 : 6, m/v) was utilized to impregnate 30% Rhizoma Alismatis, 30% Fructus Crataegi, 20% Folium Nelumbinis, and 15% Pollen Typhae for about 1.5 hours, and the measure of reflux was used to extract those materials for 2 hours; this process was repeated three times
Our results showed that the HQT group excreted significantly higher proportions of Bifidobacterium than the high-fat diet (HFD) group (p < 0 05) and this may relate to its protective role in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
Summary
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common, multifactorial, and poorly understood liver disease with an increasing incidence globally [1]. Accumulative evidence showed that gut microbiota was important in regulating the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We established an NAFLD model of rats fed with a high-fat diet (HFD), which was given different interventions, and measured the level of liver biochemical indices and inflammatory factors. HQT reduced the abundance of the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio in HFD-fed rats and modified the gut microbial species at the genus level, increasing the abundances of gut microbiota which were reported to have an effect on relieving NAFLD, such as Ruminococcaceae, Bacteroidales_S24-7_group, Bifidobacteria, Alistipes, and Anaeroplasma, and significantly inhibiting the relative abundance of Enterobacteriaceae, Streptococcus, Holdemanella, Allobaculum, and Blautia, which were reported to be potentially related to NAFLD. The HQT has potential applications in the prevention and treatment of NAFLD, which may be closely related to its modulatory effect on the gut microbiota
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