Limonitum Ameliorates Castor Oil-Induced Diarrhoea in Mice by Modulating Gut Microbiota

Ma, Y. L.; Yan, B. F.; Liu, Shengjin; Dai, S. L.; Liu, J.; Wang, X. X.; Fang, F.; Wu, S. C.; Wang, Y.; Xu, C. Y.; Zhao, Q.; Wang, H. B.; Wu, Dekang

doi:10.14712/fb2022068040133

Folia Biologica > Archive > 2022, Vol. 68 > Issue 4 > Limonitum Ameliorates Castor Oil-Induced…

Fol. Biol. 2022, 68, 133-141

https://doi.org/10.14712/fb2022068040133

Limonitum Ameliorates Castor Oil-Induced Diarrhoea in Mice by Modulating Gut Microbiota

Y. L. Ma^1,2, B. F. Yan³, Shengjin Liu^1,2, S. L. Dai^1,2, J. Liu³, X. X. Wang⁴, F. Fang^1,2, S. C. Wu^1,2, Y. Wang^1,2, C. Y. Xu^1,2, Q. Zhao⁵, H. B. Wang⁶, Dekang Wu^1,2

¹College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
²Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Centre of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, Nanjing, China
³College of Pharmacy, Jiangsu Health Vocational College, Nanjing, China
⁴Chemistry and Bio-medicine Innovation Centre (ChemBIC), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
⁵Geological Survey of Jiangsu Province, Geological Society of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, China
⁶Suzhou Leiyunshang Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Suzhou, China

Received April 2022
Accepted November 2022

Diarrhoea is a common clinical condition; its pathogenesis is strongly associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis. Limonitum is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine that exerts appreciable benefits regarding the amelioration of diarrhoea. However, the mechanism through which Limonitum ameliorates diarrhoea remains unclear. Here, the efficacy and underlying mechanism of Limonitum decoction (LD) regarding diarrhoea were explored from the aspect of gut microbiota. Castor oil (CO) was used to induce diarrhoea in mice, which were then used to evaluate the effects of LD regarding the timing of the first defecation, diarrhoea stool rate, degree of diarrhoea, diarrhoea score, intestinal propulsive rate, and weight of intestinal contents. The concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), including acetic, propionic, isobutyric, butyric and valeric acids, were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing technology was applied to evaluate changes in the gut microbiota under exposure to LD. LD was found to effectively ameliorate the symptoms of diarrhoea, and the diversity and relative abundance of gut microbiota were restored to normal levels following LD treatment. Additionally, LD significantly restored the observed reductions in SCFAs. These results provide strong evidence that LD can sufficiently ameliorate diarrhoea in mice by regulating their gut microbiota. The findings presented here highlight that Limonitum may constitute a prospective remedy for diarrhoea.

Keywords

traditional Chinese medicine, mineral Chinese medicine, mineral drug, mineral medicine, diarrhoea, Limonitum, gut microbiota, short-chain fatty acids.

Funding

This study was supported by Strategic Research Project on the Modernization of Mineral Chinese Medicines of the Science and Technology Committee of the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China (2021), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 81573556, 81673566), Bethune Charitable Foundation (No. BCF-XD-ZL-20220118-002), and Postgraduate Research and Practice Innovation Programme of Jiangsu Province (No. KYCX18_1608).