The Aurantii Fructus Immaturus flavonoid extract alleviates inflammation and modulate gut microbiota in DSS-induced colitis mice

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, relapsing immune-mediated disease that always leads to a progressive loss of intestinal function. Therefore, it is important to find potential therapeutic drugs. This study was conducted to elucidate the effect of Aurantii Fructus immaturus flavonoid extract (AFI, 8% neohesperidin, 10% naringin) on DSS-induced intestinal inflammation and the gut microbiome. To explore the mechanism of action by which AFI protects against intestinal inflammation, a total of 50 mice were randomly divided into 5 groups [CG (control group), MG (model group), AFI low dose, AFI middle dose, and AFI high dose] and received 2.5% DSS for 7 days. Then, mice in the AFI groups were orally administered different doses of AFI for 16 days. The results showed that, compared with the MG group, the food intake and body weight were increased in the AFI groups, but the water intake was lower. Additionally, AFI significantly alleviated DSS-induced colitis symptoms, including disease activity index (DAI), and colon pathological damage. The levels of IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α in serum and colon tissue were significantly decreased. The diversity and abundance of the intestinal microbiota in the AFI group were decreased. The relative abundance of Bacteroidota was increased, and the relative abundance of Firmicutes was decreased. AFI plays an important role in alleviating DSS-induced intestinal inflammation and regulating Oscillospira, Prevotellaceae and Lachnospiraceae in the intestine at low, medium and high doses, respectively. This report is a pioneer in the assessment of AFI. This study not only demonstrated the anti-inflammatory activity of AFI but also identified the microbiota regulated by different concentrations of AFI.

Regulatory mechanism and therapeutic potentials of naringin against inflammatory disorders

“…Several recent studies have demonstrated that naringin can significantly improve inflammatory bowel diseases, including ulcerative colitis (UC) and sepsis-induced intestinal damage, by inhibiting inflammatory responses and regulating intestinal flora homeostasis [ [120] , [121] , [122] , [123] ]. Among them, naringin inhibits the intestinal inflammatory response involving several pathways and signaling molecules.…”

The effect of Phyllanthus emblica (Amla) fruit supplementation on the rumen microbiota and its correlation with rumen fermentation in dairy cows

“… Liu et al (2023) discovered that different tannin sources added to broiler diets had varying effects on Oscillospiraceae, with enrichment observed only in Castanea sativa tannin and Schinopsis lorentzii tannin; these specific tannins degrade various structural carbohydrates and produce butyrate, positively impacting broilers’ liver protection. Furthermore, Aurantii Fructus immaturus flavonoid extract increased the proportion of Oscillospiraceae and ameliorated colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium in mice ( Chen S-.Y. et al, 2022 ).…”

New Insights of Biological Functions of Natural Polyphenols in Inflammatory Intestinal Diseases

“…Several studies suggested that both hesperidin and naringin could alleviate DSS-induced colitis in mice by improving the integrity of the colon, decreasing the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and elevating the expression of colonic tight junction (TJ) proteins [147,148]. Meanwhile, oral administration of hesperidin and naringin reversed the DSS-disturbed microbial community in the colon and increased the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroides [149][150][151][152]. In addition, naringin inhibited the activation of MAPK and NLRP3 inflammasome, as well as endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced autophagy [147,148].…”