School of Life Science, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, 221116, Jiangsu Province, PR China.
State Key Laboratory of Generic Manufacture Technology of Chinese Traditional Medicine, Lunan Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd., Linyi, China.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2022 Nov 15;298:115575. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115575. Epub 2022 Aug 4.
Shouhui tongbian capsule (SHTC) is a commercial Chinese patent medicine used in the treatment of constipation. However, its mechanism of action remains unclear.
The present study was undertaken to assess SHTC relieved effects on the clinical symptoms of loperamide (LOP) induced constipation in Sprague Dawley (SD) rat model and to clarify the relationship between the protective effect of SHTC on constipation and the gut microbiota.
Constipation male SD rats models were induced with solution of LOP (1.5 mg/kg bw), and rats were treated with an oral dose of SHTC (35, 70 mg/kg bw) three times a day after successful modeling. All rats were assessed weekly by change in body weight, gastric emptying rate, fecal moisture content and wet/dry weight. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) were used to observe parts of the rats small intestine. The gut microbiota in colonic contents was analyzed using 16SrRNA gene sequencing. Contents of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GCMS).
The results confirmed the therapeutic effects of SHTC on constipation. Specifically, SHTC could alleviate the decrease in body weight, gastric emptying rate and fecal moisture content caused by LOP-induced constipation. The pathological damage of small intestine was significantly improved by H&E staining. Notably, SHTC increased the relative abundances of Lactobacillus and the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroides (F/B). In addition, the content of acetic acid and propionic acid was significantly increased in constipated rats fed with SHTC.
SHTC could ameliorate the development of LOP-induced constipation in rats by remodeling the structure of gut microbial community and regulating production of intestinal metabolites.
首荟通便胶囊（SHTC）是一种用于治疗便秘的商业中药专利药物。然而，其作用机制尚不清楚。
本研究旨在评估 SHTC 对洛哌丁胺（LOP）诱导的便秘 SD 大鼠模型临床症状的缓解作用，并阐明 SHTC 对便秘的保护作用与肠道微生物群之间的关系。
通过 LOP（1.5mg/kg bw）溶液诱导雄性 SD 大鼠便秘模型，成功建模后，大鼠每天口服 SHTC（35、70mg/kg bw）三次。每周通过体重变化、胃排空率、粪便水分含量和湿/干重评估所有大鼠。使用苏木精和伊红（H&E）观察大鼠小肠的部分组织。通过 16SrRNA 基因测序分析结肠内容物中的肠道微生物群。通过气相色谱-质谱联用仪（GCMS）分析短链脂肪酸（SCFAs）的含量。
结果证实了 SHTC 对便秘的治疗作用。具体来说，SHTC 可以缓解 LOP 诱导的便秘引起的体重下降、胃排空率和粪便水分含量降低。H&E 染色显著改善了小肠的病理损伤。值得注意的是，SHTC 增加了乳酸杆菌的相对丰度和厚壁菌门与拟杆菌门的比值（F/B）。此外，SHTC 喂养的便秘大鼠中乙酸和丙酸的含量明显增加。
SHTC 通过重塑肠道微生物群落结构和调节肠道代谢产物的产生，可改善 LOP 诱导的大鼠便秘的发展。
