Aqueous Extract of Lysimachia christinae Hance Prevents Cholesterol Gallstone in Mice by Affecting the Intestinal Microflora

Abstract

With changes in human dietary patterns, the proportion of high-fat and high-cholesterol foods in the daily diet has increased. As a result, the incidence rate of cholelithiasis is increasing rapidly. Many studies have reported on the crucial role that the intestinal microflora plays in the progression of gallstones. Although the whole herb of Lysimachia christinae, a traditional Chinese medicine, has long been extensively used as a remedy for cholelithiasis in China, its effects on the intestinal microflora remain unknown. Hence, in this study, we investigated the ability of the aqueous extract of L. christinae (LAE) to prevent cholesterol gallstones (CGSs) in model animals by affecting the intestinal microflora. The effects of LAE on body weight, serum lipid profile, visceral organ indexes, and histomorphology were studied in male C57BL/6J mice, which were induced by a lithogenic diet. After the 8-week study, CGSs formation was greatly reduced after LAE treatment. LAE also reduced body weight gain and hyperlipidemia and restored the histomorphological changes. Moreover, the intestinal microflora exhibited significant variation. In the model group fed the lithogenic diet, the abundances of the genera unclassified Porphyromonadaceae, Lactobacillus and Alloprevotella decreased, but in contrast, Akkermansia dramatically increased compared with the control check group, which was fed a normal diet; the administration of LAE reversed these changes. These results imply that L. christinae can be considered an efficient therapy for eliminating CGSs induced by a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet, which may be achieved by influencing the intestinal microflora.

Chaihu Shugan prevents cholesterol gallstone formation by ameliorating the microbiota dysbiosis and metabolic disturbance in mice

“…Chaihu Shugan reversed this change in gut microbiota composition to that observed in the control group in a dose-dependent manner. Lactobacillus can prevent CGS formation by fully activating the hepatic and ileal FXR signaling pathway ( Oh et al, 2021 ; Ye et al, 2022 ), and might be an active target bridge for other materials, such as Lysimachia christinae ( Liu et al, 2021 ), tea ( Huang et al, 2019 ), and coffee and caffeine ( Ishizuk et al, 2003 ; Khochapong et al, 2021 ), to prevent CGS function. Moreover, Lactobacillus and Akkermansia have been reported to be associated with high daily tea consumption-induced calcium oxalate renal calculi ( Chen et al, 2021 ).…”

The gut microbiota: A new perspective for tertiary prevention of hepatobiliary and gallbladder diseases

“…A team directly studied the correlation between dietary structure and biliary microbiota in patients with gallstones and found that the abundance of specific microbiota is highly correlated with the intake of dairy products, several fibers, and fatty acids ( 92 ). The oral administration of an aqueous extract of the Chinese herb L. christinae is shown to improve intestinal microbiota disorder significantly, reduce gallstone formation, and restore histological morphology in mice with gallstones ( 93 ). Dietary behavior is highly correlated with intestinal flora and biliary tract flora, further affecting cholesterol and BA metabolism.…”

Antibacterial Activity of Lysimachia nummularia L. in Oro-Dental Diseases

“…In traditional Chinese medicine, it has been used to treat various ailments, such as inflammation, diarrhea, and jaundice. It has also been used to promote diuresis, in detoxification, and to alleviate pain [5]. In European traditional medicine, the plant has been used as an astringent, diuretic, and expectorant.…”