Institute of Environmental and Operational Medicine, Tianjin, China.
Food Funct. 2020 Sep 23;11(9):8003-8013. doi: 10.1039/d0fo01439g.
The diversity and activity of the gut microbiota residing in humans and animals are significantly influenced by the diet. Quercetin, one of the representative polyphenols in human diets, possesses a wide range of biological properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the prebiotic effects of quercetin in antibiotic-treated mice. Gut dysbiosis was successfully induced in mice by treatment with an antibiotic cocktail. Gas chromatography and 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing techniques were used to investigate short-chain fatty acid content and gut microbial diversity and composition. The results showed that quercetin supplementation significantly improved the diversity of the gut bacterial community in antibiotic-treated mice (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, intestinal barrier function was also recovered remarkably as indicated by a decrease in the content of serum d-lactic acid and the activity of serum diamine oxidase (P < 0.05). The length of intestinal villi and mucosal thickness were also significantly increased in response to quercetin treatment (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the production of butyrate in faeces was enhanced significantly in quercetin-treated mice (P < 0.05). In conclusion, quercetin is effective in recovering gut microbiota in mice after antibiotic treatment and may act as a prebiotic in combatting gut dysbiosis.
饮食显著影响人类和动物肠道微生物群的多样性和活性。槲皮素是人类饮食中代表性的多酚之一，具有广泛的生物学特性。本研究旨在研究槲皮素在抗生素处理小鼠中的益生元作用。通过用抗生素混合物处理成功诱导了小鼠肠道菌群失调。使用气相色谱和 16S rDNA 高通量测序技术来研究短链脂肪酸含量和肠道微生物多样性和组成。结果表明，槲皮素补充剂显著改善了抗生素处理小鼠肠道细菌群落的多样性（P < 0.05）。同时，肠道屏障功能也明显恢复，血清中 d-乳酸和血清二胺氧化酶的活性降低（P < 0.05）。肠道绒毛的长度和粘膜厚度也因槲皮素治疗而显著增加（P < 0.05）。此外，粪便中丁酸盐的产生在槲皮素处理的小鼠中显著增强（P < 0.05）。总之，槲皮素可有效恢复抗生素处理后小鼠的肠道微生物群，可作为防治肠道菌群失调的益生元。
