Dietary β-Carotene on Postpartum Uterine Recovery in Mice: Crosstalk Between Gut Microbiota and Inflammation

Abstract

As the precursor of vitamin A, β-carotene has a positive effect on reproductive performance. Our previous study has shown that β-carotene can increase antioxidant enzyme activity potentially through regulating gut microbiota in pregnant sows. This study aimed to clarify the effect of β-carotene on reproductive performance and postpartum uterine recovery from the aspect of inflammation and gut microbiota by using a mouse model. Twenty-seven 6 weeks old female Kunming mice were randomly assigned into 3 groups (n=9), and fed with a diet containing 0, 30 or 90 mg/kg β-carotene, respectively. The results showed that dietary supplementation of β-carotene reduced postpartum uterine hyperemia and uterine mass index (P<0.05), improved intestinal villus height and villus height to crypt depth ratio, decreased serum TNF-α and IL-4 concentration (P<0.05), while no differences were observed in litter size and litter weight among three treatments. Characterization of gut microbiota revealed that β-carotene up-regulated the relative abundance of genera Akkermansia, Candidatus Stoquefichus and Faecalibaculum, but down-regulated the relative abundance of Alloprevotella and Helicobacter. Correlation analysis revealed that Akkermansia was negatively correlated with the IL-4 concentration, while Candidatus Stoquefichus and Faecalibaculum had a negative linear correlation with both TNF-α and IL-4 concentration. On the other hand, Alloprevotella was positively correlated with the TNF-α, and Helicobacter had a positive correlation with both TNF-α and IL-4 concentration. These data demonstrated that dietary supplementation of β-carotene contributes to postpartum uterine recovery by decreasing postpartum uterine hemorrhage and inhibiting the production of inflammatory cytokines potentially through modulating gut microbiota.

Intestinal Microbiomics and Metabolomics Insights into the Hepatoprotective Effects of Lactobacillus paracasei CCFM1222 Against the Acute Liver Injury in Mice

“…However, it has also been reported that the relative abundances of Erysipelotrichaceae (butyrate-producing bacteria) were negatively related to the expression of in ammatory cytokines [33]. Among Erysipelotrichaceae family, Faecalibaculum genus promotes SCFAs production, carbohydrate metabolism, and lactate metabolism [34]. A higher concentration of butyric acid improves the in ammation and oxidative stress of ALI by stimulating the secretion of IL-22 from intestinal epithelial cells [35].…”

Effects of Lacidophilin Tablets, Yogurt, and Bifid Triple Viable Capsules on the Gut Microbiota of Mice with Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea

“…Previous studies have reported that Firmicutes was often highly represented in the gut microbiota of healthy individuals and could be reduced with illness, while a significant increase in Proteobacteria abundance could lead to chronic abdominal pain/diarrhea and a series of gastrointestinal inflammations [ 46 – 48 ]. The phylum Bacteroidetes comprises bacteria that are common gut-associated microbes with a relatively high risk of causing diarrheal diseases and had a negative correlation with inflammatory cytokines [ 49 , 50 ]. The ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes is commonly used to evaluate various enteropathies of patients, such as irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and metabolic diseases [ 51 , 52 ].…”

Depletion of Gut Microbiota Inhibits Hepatic Lipid Accumulation in High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice

“…Moreover, the abundance of Coriobacteriaceae_UCG-002 and Enterorhabdus were significantly positively correlated with serum TC and TG levels, respectively. In addition, Abx treatment also decreased the abundance of Faecalibaculum and Desulfovibrio , which contribute to the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines [ 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 ] and then promote the development of metabolic dysfunction. Similarly, it has been demonstrated that Desulfovibrio can produce LPS and then induce inflammation and insulin resistance [ 91 , 92 ].…”