Li Ying, Salih Ibrahim Rawya Mohamed, Chi Hong-Li, Xiao Tong, Xia Wen-Jie, Li Hong-Bao, Kang Yu-Ming
Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Shaanxi Engineering and Research Center of Vaccine, Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases of Education Ministry of China, Xi'an Jiaotong University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an, China.
Mol Nutr Food Res. 2021 Apr;65(7):e2000885. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.202000885. Epub 2021 Feb 25.
Gut dysbiosis and dysregulation of the gut-brain-axis contributes to the pathogenesis of hypertension. Vitamin C (VC) is a common dietary supplement that shows the ability to lower the elevated blood pressure in hypertensive animals. Thus, the hypothesis that the gut microbiota is involved in the anti-hypertensive effect of VC is proposed.
The changes of the gut microbiota and pathology in a spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) model after daily oral intake of VC in dosage of 200 or 1000 mg kg are examined. After 4 weeks, the elevated blood pressure of SHRs in both VC-treated groups is attenuated. Sequencing of the gut microbiota shows improvement in its diversity and abundance. Bioinformatic analysis suggests restored metabolism and biosynthesis-related functions of the gut, which are confirmed by the improvement of gut pathology and integrity. Analysis of the hypothalamus paraventricular nucleus (PVN), the central pivot of blood pressure regulation, also shows reduced inflammatory responses and oxidative stress.
The reduced blood pressure, enriched gut microbiota, improved gut pathology and integrity, and reduced inflammatory responses and oxidative stress in the PVN together suggest that the anti-hypertensive effects of VC involve reshaping of gut microbiota composition and function.
肠道微生物群失调和肠-脑轴功能紊乱会导致高血压的发病机制。维生素C（VC）是一种常见的膳食补充剂，在高血压动物模型中具有降低血压升高的能力。因此，我们提出了肠道微生物群参与VC降压作用的假说。
研究了自发性高血压大鼠（SHR）模型每日口服200或1000mg/kg剂量VC后肠道微生物群和病理学的变化。4周后，两个VC治疗组的SHR血压升高均得到缓解。肠道微生物群测序显示其多样性和丰度有所改善。生物信息学分析表明肠道的代谢和生物合成相关功能得以恢复，这一点通过肠道病理学和完整性的改善得到证实。对血压调节的中枢枢纽下丘脑室旁核（PVN）的分析也显示炎症反应和氧化应激减少。
血压降低、肠道微生物群丰富、肠道病理学和完整性改善以及PVN中炎症反应和氧化应激减少，共同表明VC的降压作用涉及肠道微生物群组成和功能的重塑。
