Wuji Wan Formula Ameliorates Diarrhea and Disordered Colonic Motility in Post-inflammation Irritable Bowel Syndrome Rats by Modulating the Gut Microbiota

Abstract

Emerging evidence suggests that gut microbiota contribute to the treatment of post-inflammatory irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS). Our previous studies have demonstrated that a Chinese formula, Wuji Wan, has the ability to mitigate abdominal pain and diarrhea in PI-IBS rats. However, little is known about the underlying mechanism and whether the gut microbiota mediate the effect of Wuji Wan on PI-IBS. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine whether Wuji Wan mitigated PI-IBS by modifying the gut microbiota. PI-IBS was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by enema using 4% acetic acid and restraint stress. Rats were fed water, Wuji Wan extract (630 mg/kg) or pinaverium bromide (13.5 mg/kg). Our data showed that Wuji Wan effectively ameliorated abdominal pain, colonic motility abnormality and visceral hypersensitivity. Analysis of the fecal microbiota showed that Wuji Wan could reverse the reduction in richness of the gut microbiota and significantly increase the relative abundances of Akkermansia, Bacteroides, and Parasutterella; however, Lactobacillus and Prevotella were markedly decreased in the PI-IBS rats. Moreover, Wuji Wan promoted goblet cell proliferation in the colonic mucosa by increasing the release of mucin, up-regulating the distribution of tight junction proteins Occludin and ZO-1 and down-regulating the expression of MLCK in colonic epithelial cells. These findings suggest that Wuji Wan may remit IBS by modulating the gut microbiota and stabilizing the gut mucosal barrier, indicating that the use of a classical formula of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that exhibits a prebiotic effect may be a promising strategy for PI-IBS treatment.

Increasing levels of Parasutterella in the gut microbiome correlate with improving low-density lipoprotein levels in healthy adults consuming resistant potato starch during a randomised trial

“…Parasutterella is an anaerobic, asaccharolytic Gram-negative, non-spore-forming coccobacillus, that was originally described based on a strain isolated from a fecal sample from a healthy Japanese male [ 18 ]. Deep sea water (DSW) is one of several dietary supplements that tend to increase Parasutterella levels [ 19 – 22 ]. Using a diet-induced hamster model of hypercholesterolemia, Lin and colleagues demonstrated that DSW also led to significant reductions in triglycerides, LDL, and total cholesterol, although Bacteroidetes was the only bacterial population significantly correlated with serum cholesterol and LDL in response to the high cholesterol diet [ 20 ].…”

Increasing levels of Parasutterella in the gut microbiome correlate with improving Low-Density Lipoprotein levels in healthy adults consuming resistant potato starch during a randomised trial

“…Parasutterella is an anaerobic, asaccharolytic Gram-negative, non-spore-forming coccobacillus, that was originally described based on a strain isolated from a fecal sample from a healthy Japanese male [17]. Deep sea water (DSW) is one of several dietary supplements that tend to increase Parasutterella levels [18][19] [20] [21]. Using a diet-induced hamster model of hypercholesterolemia, Lin and colleagues demonstrated that DSW also led to signi cant reductions in triglycerides, LDL, and total cholesterol, although Bacteroidetes was the only bacterial population signi cantly correlated with serum cholesterol and LDL in response to the high cholesterol diet [19].…”

Modulation of visceral sensitivity by faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT): the active role of gut microbiota in the persistence of abdominal pain

“…Akkermansia muciniphila is known to mediate a variety of host functions ranging from metabolism to immune regulation [21][22][23]. Regarding its role in pain syndromes or functional gastrointestinal disorders, A. muciniphila was found to be signi cantly reduced in children with IBS [24] as well as in animal models of post-in ammatory IBS [25]. Recently, Guida et al reported that pain related to dysbiosis in vitamin D de cient mice were ameliorated by an anandamide congener, in concomitance with increased levels of Akkermansia, Eubacterium and Enterobacteriaceae [26].…”