Xia Liqiong, Li Ran, Tao Ting, Zhong Ruimin, Du Haifang, Liao Ziling, Sun Zhanghua, Xu Changqiong
Department of Pharmacy, Loudi Central Hospital, Loudi, Hunan, China.
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Utilization and Conservation of Food and Medicinal Resources in Northern Region, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan, Guangdong, China.
Front Microbiol. 2023 Aug 14;14:1233934. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1233934. eCollection 2023.
Inflammation, a sophisticated and delicately balanced physiological mechanism, is paramount to the host's immunological defense against pathogens. However, unfettered and excessive inflammation can be instrumental in engendering a plethora of chronic ailments and detrimental health repercussions, notably within the gastrointestinal tract. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from bacteria are potent endotoxins capable of instigating intestinal inflammation through the disruption of the intestinal epithelial barrier and the stimulation of a pro-inflammatory immune response. In this study, we sought to investigate the influence of essential oil (LCEO) on LPS-induced intestinal inflammation and associated changes in the gut microbiota. We investigated the therapeutic potential of LCEO for gut health, with particular emphasis on its gut protective properties, anti-inflammatory properties and modulation of the gut microbiome. LCEO exhibited protective effects on colonic tissue by protecting crypts and maintaining epithelial integrity, and anti-inflammatory properties by reducing TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β levels in the liver and intestine. Citral, a major component of LCEO, showed robust binding to IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, exerting anti-inflammatory effects through hydrogen bonding interactions. Using community barplot and LEfSe analyses, we detected significant variation in microbial composition, identified discrete biomarkers, and highlighted the influence of essential oils on gut microbial communities. Our research suggests that LCEO may be a promising natural compound for ameliorating diarrhea and intestinal inflammation, with potential implications for modulating the gut microbiome. These observations provide invaluable insight into the potential therapeutic role of LCEO as a natural anti-inflammatory agent for treating intestinal inflammatory disorders, particularly in the setting of a dysregulated immune response and altered gut microbiota. Furthermore, our findings highlight the need to understand the complex interplay between the host, the gut microbiome and natural products in the context of inflammatory diseases.
炎症是一种复杂且精妙平衡的生理机制，对于宿主抵御病原体的免疫防御至关重要。然而，不受控制的过度炎症会引发众多慢性疾病并对健康产生有害影响，尤其是在胃肠道内。细菌的脂多糖（LPS）是强效内毒素，能够通过破坏肠道上皮屏障和刺激促炎免疫反应来引发肠道炎症。在本研究中，我们旨在探究柠檬草精油（LCEO）对LPS诱导的肠道炎症及肠道微生物群相关变化的影响。我们研究了LCEO对肠道健康的治疗潜力，特别关注其肠道保护特性、抗炎特性以及对肠道微生物群的调节作用。LCEO通过保护隐窝和维持上皮完整性对结肠组织发挥保护作用，并通过降低肝脏和肠道中的TNF-α、IL-6和IL-1β水平展现出抗炎特性。柠檬醛作为LCEO的主要成分，与IL-1β、IL-6和TNF-α有强烈结合，通过氢键相互作用发挥抗炎作用。通过群落柱状图和LEfSe分析，我们检测到微生物组成的显著差异，识别出离散的生物标志物，并突出了精油对肠道微生物群落的影响。我们的研究表明，LCEO可能是一种有前景的天然化合物，可改善腹泻和肠道炎症，对调节肠道微生物群具有潜在意义。这些观察结果为LCEO作为治疗肠道炎症性疾病的天然抗炎剂的潜在治疗作用提供了宝贵见解，特别是在免疫反应失调和肠道微生物群改变的情况下。此外，我们的研究结果强调了在炎症性疾病背景下理解宿主、肠道微生物群和天然产物之间复杂相互作用的必要性。
