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. 2021 Nov 5:11:728929.
doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.728929. eCollection 2021.

Pulsatilla chinensis Saponins Ameliorate Inflammation and DSS-Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Rats by Regulating the Composition and Diversity of Intestinal Flora

Yali Liu  1   2 , Mingyue Zhou  1 , Ming Yang  3 , Chen Jin  1 , Yonggui Song  1 , Jingbin Chen  1 , Meng Gao  1 , Zhifu Ai  1 , Dan Su  1
Affiliations

Pulsatilla chinensis Saponins Ameliorate Inflammation and DSS-Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Rats by Regulating the Composition and Diversity of Intestinal Flora

Yali Liu et al. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. .

Abstract

Pulsatilla chinensis (Bunge) Regel is a commonly used Chinese medicine for clearing away heat and detoxification, cooling blood, stopping dysentery, and anti-inflammatory effects. Pulsatilla chinensis saponins (PRS) have been identified to be responsible for producing these pharmacological activities. Studies have shown that Pulsatilla decoction has a good therapeutic effect on ulcerative colitis (UC), however, the therapeutic effect of PRS on UC has not been reported. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the possible anti-UC activity of PRS using a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced rat model, and further study the mechanism of PRS in the treatment of UC. The fecal and colon samples were collected from rats to monitor the changes in the composition and diversity of the intestinal flora, and pathological colon sections were also made to examine the mesenteric hemorheological characteristics. The results showed that PRS significantly reduced the mesenteric blood flow in UC rats and significantly alleviated the inflammatory response, which indicates that saponins are involved in the anti-UC effects of PRS. At the same time, it is also suggested that the regulation of intestinal flora by Pulsatilla chinensis saponins is an important pathway for its anti-UC activity, which may be ascribed to the increase in beneficial bacteria like norank_F_Muribaculaceae and norank_F_norank_O_Clostridia_UCG-014, and decrease in the harmful Bacteroides.

Keywords: 16S rRNA; Pulsatilla chinensis saponins (PRS); dextran sulfate sodium (DSS); gut microbiome; ulcerative colitis (UC).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Change of body weight of mice from different groups during modeling period.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Histopathological changes were improved by PRS saponins. The colons of each group were processed for histological evaluation (H&E staining 100×). The scale bar is 25 μm.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Lengths of colons from each group of rat. Data are presented as means ± SD (n = 6 per group). #p < 0.05 and ##p < 0.01 vs the model group on the same day; *p < 0.05 and **p < 0.01 vs the control group.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Weight of colons from each group of rat. Data are presented as means ± SD (n= 6 per group). #p < 0.05 and ##p < 0.01 vs the model group on the same day; *p < 0.05 and **p < 0.01 vs the control group.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Blood flow volume of each group of rat. Data are presented as means ± SD (n= 6 per group). ##p < 0.01 vs the model group on the same day; *p < 0.05 and **p < 0.01 vs the control group.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Mesenteric blood flow volume of each group of rat. Data are presented as means ± SD (n= 6 per group).
Figure 7
Figure 7
OTU analysis of intestinal microbes in UC rats.
Figure 8
Figure 8
PCoA analysis of intestinal microbes in UC rats.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Shannon curves analysis of intestinal microbes in UC rats.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Simpson curves analysis of intestinal microbes in UC rats.
Figure 11
Figure 11
Community barplot analysis on phylum level.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Community barplot analysis on genus level.
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