School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China.
Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2023 Feb 7;2023:1983616. doi: 10.1155/2023/1983616. eCollection 2023.
Spleen deficiency diarrhea (SDD) is a common Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) gastrointestinal condition, the causes of which include dysfunction of the intestinal barrier and microbiota. Rice water-fried Atractylodis Rhizoma (RAR) is a commonly used drug to treat this condition, but its mechanism remains unclear. This study explored the related mechanisms of ethanolic extract of rice water-fried Atractylodis Rhizoma (EAR) in the treatment of SDD by examining changes in the intestinal microbiota.
Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups including the control, model, EAR low, and high-dose groups, 6 rats in each group. All rats, except the control group, were induced to develop SDD by a bitter-cold purgation method with rhubarb. The therapeutic effect of EAR on SDD was evaluated by pathological sections, inflammatory indicators (TNF-, IL-1, and IL-10), gastrointestinal-related indicators (GAS, DAO, D-lactate, VIP, and SIgA), and intestinal flora (bacteria and fungi) analysis.
The results showed that the developed SDD rat model (model group) showed weight loss, decreased food intake, and increased fecal moisture content. Compared with those of the control group, the levels of TNF-, IL-1, DAO, D-lactate, and VIP in the model group were significantly increased, but the levels of IL-10, GAS and SIgA were significantly decreased ( < 0.05). However, the indicators were significantly improved after EAR treatment, indicating that EAR maintained the balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and reduced gastric emptying, thereby protecting intestinal barrier function, alleviating intestinal mucosal injury, and relieving SDD by regulating the release of neurotransmitters. EAR was also shown to prevent infection by promoting the accumulation of noninflammatory immunoglobulin SIgA and improving intestinal mucosal immunity to inhibit the adhesion of bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. Intestinal microbiome analysis showed that the intestinal bacteria and fungi of SDD model rats changed greatly compared with the control group, resulting in intestinal microecological imbalance. The reversal in the composition of the flora after EAR treatment was mainly characterized by a large enrichment of beneficial bacteria represented by and a decrease in the abundance of potentially pathogenic fungi represented by . Thus, it was speculated that EAR primarily functions to alleviate SDD by increasing the abundance of beneficial bacteria and reducing the abundance of potentially pathogenic fungi.
The strong therapeutic effect of EAR on SDD suggests that it is a promising treatment for this condition.
脾虚泄泻（SDD）是一种常见的中医（TCM）胃肠道病症，其病因包括肠屏障功能障碍和微生物群失调。炒白术是一种常用的治疗这种病症的药物，但它的作用机制尚不清楚。本研究通过观察肠道微生物群的变化，探讨了炒白术乙醇提取物（EAR）治疗 SDD 的相关机制。
将 Wistar 大鼠随机分为 4 组，包括对照组、模型组、EAR 低剂量组和高剂量组，每组 6 只大鼠。除对照组外，其余大鼠均采用大黄苦寒泻下法诱导 SDD。通过病理切片、炎症指标（TNF-、IL-1 和 IL-10）、胃肠相关指标（GAS、DAO、D-乳酸、VIP 和 SIgA）和肠道菌群（细菌和真菌）分析评价 EAR 对 SDD 的治疗效果。
结果显示，所建立的 SDD 大鼠模型（模型组）表现出体重减轻、摄食量减少和粪便水分含量增加。与对照组相比，模型组 TNF-、IL-1、DAO、D-乳酸和 VIP 水平显著升高，而 IL-10、GAS 和 SIgA 水平显著降低（<0.05）。然而，EAR 治疗后这些指标显著改善，表明 EAR 通过维持促炎和抗炎细胞因子的平衡、降低胃排空来保护肠屏障功能，减轻肠道黏膜损伤，通过调节神经递质的释放缓解 SDD。EAR 还通过促进非炎症性免疫球蛋白 SIgA 的积累和改善肠道黏膜免疫来抑制细菌、病毒等病原体的黏附，从而防止感染，从而改善肠道微生态平衡。肠道微生物组分析显示，与对照组相比，SDD 模型大鼠的肠道细菌和真菌发生了巨大变化，导致肠道微生态失衡。EAR 治疗后菌群组成的逆转主要表现为有益菌的大量富集，以 为代表，潜在致病真菌的丰度降低，以 为代表。因此，推测 EAR 主要通过增加有益菌的丰度和减少潜在致病真菌的丰度来缓解 SDD。
EAR 对 SDD 的强大治疗效果表明，它是一种有前途的治疗方法。
