BackgroundGut microbiota plays an important role in many metabolic diseases such as diabetes and atherosclerosis. Apolipoprotein E (apoE) knock-out (KO) mice are frequently used for the study of hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis. However, it is unknown whether apoE KO mice have altered gut microbiota when challenged with a Western diet.MethodsIn the current study, we assessed the gut microbiota profiling of apoE KO mice and compared with wild-type mice fed either a normal chow or Western diet for 12 weeks using 16S pyrosequencing.ResultsOn a western diet, the gut microbiota diversity was significantly decreased in apoE KO mice compared with wild type (WT) mice. Firmicutes and Erysipelotrichaceae were significantly increased in WT mice but Erysipelotrichaceae was unchanged in apoE KO mice on a Western diet. The weighted UniFrac principal coordinate analysis exhibited clear separation between WT and apoE KO mice on the first vector (58.6%) with significant changes of two dominant phyla (Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes) and seven dominant families (Porphyromonadaceae, Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Desulfovibrionaceae, Helicobacteraceae, Erysipelotrichaceae and Veillonellaceae). Lachnospiraceae was significantly enriched in apoE KO mice on a Western diet. In addition, Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae were positively correlated with relative atherosclerosis lesion size in apoE KO.ConclusionsCollectively, our study showed that there are marked changes in the gut microbiota of apoE KO mice, particularly challenged with a Western diet and these alterations may be possibly associated with atherosclerosis.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12944-018-0811-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Cocoa powder is rich in flavonoids, which have many beneficial effects on human health, including antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects. The aim of our study was to investigate whether the intake of cocoa powder has any influence on hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis and examine the underlying molecular mechanisms. We fed apoE knockout mice a Western diet supplemented with either 0.2% (low group) or 2% (high group) cocoa powder for 12 weeks. The groups fed dietary cocoa powder showed a significant reduction in both plasma cholesterol levels and aortic atherosclerosis compared to the control group. Analysis of mRNA profiling of aortic atherosclerotic lesions revealed that the expression of several genes related to apoptosis, lipid metabolism, and inflammation was significantly reduced, while the antiapoptotic gene Bcl2 was significantly increased in the cocoa powder group compared to the control. RT-PCR analysis along with Western blotting revealed that a diet containing cocoa powder inhibited the expression of hepatic endoplasmic reticulum stress. These data suggest that cocoa powder intake improves hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis, and such beneficial effects are possibly mediated through the suppression of hepatic endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Introduction: Traditional Chinese herbs are widely used for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in China. The aim of this study was to perform a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing peginterferon therapies with peginterferon plus Chinese herbal therapies in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive CHB patients. Methodology: The main biomedical databases were searched to identify RCTs that compared the efficiency of peginterferon with peginterferon plus Chinese herbs in CHB patients. Results: The literature search yielded 616 studies, and 8 RCTs (624 patients) matched the selection criteria. Combined therapies of peginterferon plus Chinese herbal therapies were superior to peginterferon therapies alone in achieving the serum HBV DNA clearance rate (64.5% vs. 45.0%), serum HBeAg clearance rate (47.4% vs. 33.5%), and HBeAg seroconversion rates (39.2% vs. 23.1%) at the end of treatment. Combined therapies were more effective than peginterferon alone therapies in the improvement of liver fibrosis related biomarkers, including hyaluronic acid, procollagen type III, type IV collagen, and lamina. Combined therapies also resulted in fewer relapses, fewer adverse events, and more rapid alanine transaminase normalization. Conclusions: The current evidence suggests that peginterferon plus Chinese herbal therapies were associated with higher virological response than peginterferon alone in HBeAg-positive CHB patients.

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