Broussonetia papyrifera Polysaccharide Alleviated Acetaminophen-Induced Liver Injury by Regulating the Intestinal Flora

Abstract

Liver injury caused by an overdose of acetaminophen (APAP) is a major public health problem. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Broussonetia papyrifera polysaccharide (BPP) on liver injury and intestinal flora induced by APAP. The results showed that BPP could protect against APAP-induced liver injury, alleviate liver apoptosis, improve antioxidant capacity and enhance the liver’s detoxification ability to APAP. At the same time, BPP improved the intestinal flora disorder caused by APAP. More importantly, we found that the hepatoprotective effect of BPP disappeared after the depletion of gut microbiota in mice. Further, we reconstructed the intestinal flora structure of mice through fecal microbiota transplantation and found that the symptoms of APAP—induced liver injury were effectively alleviated. Overall, BPP was a potential hepatoprotective drug that could protect against APAP-induced liver injury and might be mediated by intestinal flora.

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum NKK20 Alleviates High-Fat-Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Mice through Regulating Bile Acid Anabolism

“…In this study, after the administration of L. plantarum NKK20, we found that the concentrations of the three SCFAs (acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid) significantly increased, while the concentrations of multiple secondary bile acids significantly decreased, which may be related to a decrease in the abundance of Pseudomonas and Turicibacter and an increase in the abundance of Akkermansia in mice. According to the axis principle of “intestinal microbiota—metabolite—immunity”, during gastrointestinal transit, SCFAs are metabolites of intestinal bacteria that enter the bloodstream and play an anti-inflammatory and liver-protective role [ 44 , 45 ]. They are produced by anaerobic bacteria in the intestinal tract that ferment dietary fiber incapable of being digested or absorbed by human beings in the colon segment [ 46 ].…”

In vitro antibacterial effects of Broussonetia papyrifera leaf extract and its anti-colitis in DSS-treated mice

“…This extracted part of the BP and/or the administration method could be the underlying reasons for the inconsistent results found in our study. In another study, different dosages of polysaccharides extracted from BP leaves (100 mg/kg/d, 200 mg/kg/d, and 400 mg/kg/d) were orally administered to KU mice, showing a dose-dependent mitigation of acetaminophen-induced liver damage and restoration of the downregulated gene expression of Nrf2 and its downstream target genes in the liver, signifying the antioxidant benefits of BP polysaccharides (BPP) ( Xu et al., 2022 ). The specific cause of the differences observed in our study, whether related to the active compounds within the BP leaf extract and/or organ-specific targets, remains ambiguous.…”

“…The specific cause of the differences observed in our study, whether related to the active compounds within the BP leaf extract and/or organ-specific targets, remains ambiguous. The hepatoprotective effect of BPP may be attributed to the metabolic effects of the intestinal microbiota ( Xu et al., 2022 ). Intestinal microorganisms may interact with phytochemicals within BP extracts, exerting direct or indirect effects on the health of the host.…”

“…Concurrently, the mice in the BPE and DSS + BPE groups were subjected to oral gavage with 200 mg/kg body weight of BPE, whereas mice in the Con and DSS groups received an equivalent volume of PBS daily. The adopted dosage of BPE in the mouse experiment was described in an earlier study ( Xu et al., 2022 ). All mice were subjected to weight assessment and daily evaluation of the diarrhea index.…”