Abstract
Shenlian (SL) decoction is a herbal formula composed of Coptis and ginseng, of which berberine and ginsenoside are the main constituents. Even though SL decoction is widely used in treating diabetes in China, the mechanism of its antidiabetes function still needs further study. Gut microbiota disorder is one of the important factors that cause diabetes. To explore the effect of SL decoction on intestinal microbiota, gut microbiota of mice was analyzed by sequencing the gut bacterial 16S rRNA V3+V4 region and metagenomics. In this study, results demonstrated that SL decoction had a better hypoglycemic effect and β cell protection effect than either ginseng or Coptis chinensis. Alpha diversity analysis showed that all interventions with ginseng, Coptis, and SL decoction could reverse the increased diversity and richness of gut microbiota in db/db mice. PCoA analysis showed oral SL decoction significantly alters gut microbiota composition in db/db mice. 395 OTUs showed significant differences after SL treatment, of which 37 OTUs enriched by SL decoction showed a significant negative correlation with FBG, and 204 OTUs decreased by SL decoction showed a significant positive correlation with FBG. Results of KEGG analysis and metagenomic sequencing showed that SL decoction could reduce the Prevotellaceae, Rikenellaceae, and Helicobacteraceae, which were related to lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, riboflavin metabolism, and peroxisome, respectively. It could also upregulate the abundance of Bacteroidaceae, which contributed to the metabolism of starch and sucrose as well as pentose-glucuronate interconversions. In the species level, SL decoction significantly upregulates the relative abundance of Bacteroides_acidifaciens which showed a significant negative correlation with FBG and was reported to be a potential agent for modulating metabolic disorders such as diabetes and obesity. In conclusion, SL decoction was effective in hypoglycemia and its mechanism may be related to regulating gut microbiota via upregulating Bacteroides_acidifaciens.
Highlights
Diabetes is a chronic glycemic metabolism disorder disease, which is associated with excessive calorie intake, lack of exercise, genetic predisposition, etc
Results showed that less insulin was detected in db/db mice compared with db/m mice (P = 0:059), and HL (P = 0:278) and SL decoction (P = 0:053) could improve the insulin generation in islet tissue
An increasing number of studies showed that hypoglycemic Chinese medicines regulate glucose via mediating the gut microbiota
Summary
Diabetes is a chronic glycemic metabolism disorder disease, which is associated with excessive calorie intake, lack of exercise, genetic predisposition, etc. A study from Gao et al demonstrated that TCM intervention could reduce the conversion rate of IGT to diabetes and improve insulin resistance [2]. Another randomized clinical trial showed that JinQi Jiangtang tablets (a Chinese patent medicine) could effectively reduce the incidence of diabetes mellitus and even reverse the prediabetes to normal [3, 4]. Tianqi capsule, another Chinese patent medicine, has been proved to decrease the incidence of T2DM in subjects with IGT. Traditional Chinese medicine is worthy to be further studied
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