Liu Hao-Lan, Chen Hui-Fang, Wu Yun-Dang, Yan Ya-Jie, He Xue-Cheng, Li Zhong-Zheng, Ruan Yan, Wu Gan-Long
School of Medicine, Jishou University, Jishou, China.
Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Front Microbiol. 2024 May 15;15:1290985. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1290985. eCollection 2024.
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a respiratory immune system disorder characterized by dysregulation of immune responses. Within the context of AR, gut microbiota and its metabolites have been identified as contributors to immune modulation. These microorganisms intricately connect the respiratory and gut immune systems, forming what is commonly referred to as the gut-lung axis. Xiaoqinglong Decoction (XQLD), a traditional Chinese herbal remedy, is widely utilized in traditional Chinese medicine for the clinical treatment of AR. In this study, it is hypothesized that the restoration of symbiotic microbiota balance within the gut-lung axis plays a pivotal role in supporting the superior long-term efficacy of XQLD in AR therapy. Therefore, the primary objective of this research is to investigate the impact of XQLD on the composition and functionality of the gut microbiota in a murine model of AR.
An ovalbumin-sensitized mouse model to simulate AR was utilized, the improvement of AR symptoms after medication was investigated, and high-throughput sequencing was employed to analyze the gut microbiota composition.
XQLD exhibited substantial therapeutic effects in AR mice, notably characterized by a significant reduction in allergic inflammatory responses, considerable alleviation of nasal symptoms, and the restoration of normal nasal function. Additionally, following XQLD treatment, the disrupted gut microbiota in AR mice displayed a tendency toward restoration, showing significant differences compared to the Western medicine (loratadine) group.
This results revealed that XQLD may enhance AR allergic inflammatory responses through the regulation of intestinal microbiota dysbiosis in mice, thus influencing the dynamics of the gut-lung axis. The proposal of this mechanism provides a foundation for future research in this area.
变应性鼻炎（AR）是一种以免疫反应失调为特征的呼吸系统免疫系统疾病。在AR的背景下，肠道微生物群及其代谢产物已被确定为免疫调节的促成因素。这些微生物将呼吸道和肠道免疫系统紧密相连，形成了通常所说的肠-肺轴。小青龙汤（XQLD）是一种传统的中药方剂，在中医临床中广泛用于治疗AR。在本研究中，假设恢复肠-肺轴内共生微生物群的平衡在支持XQLD治疗AR的卓越长期疗效中起关键作用。因此，本研究的主要目的是在AR小鼠模型中研究XQLD对肠道微生物群组成和功能的影响。
利用卵清蛋白致敏的小鼠模型模拟AR，研究用药后AR症状的改善情况，并采用高通量测序分析肠道微生物群组成。
XQLD对AR小鼠表现出显著的治疗效果，其显著特征为变应性炎症反应显著减轻、鼻部症状明显缓解以及鼻功能恢复正常。此外，XQLD治疗后，AR小鼠中被破坏的肠道微生物群呈现恢复趋势，与西药（氯雷他定）组相比有显著差异。
该结果表明，XQLD可能通过调节小鼠肠道微生物群失调来增强AR变应性炎症反应，从而影响肠-肺轴的动态变化。这一机制的提出为该领域未来的研究奠定了基础。
