ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the effect of Xuanbai Chengqi Decoction (XBCQT) on lung-gut injury and intestinal function, and analyze its effect on intestinal flora in sepsis mice.Methods:C57 male mice were randomly divided into three groups with 12 mice in each group: control group, model group and treatment group. The sepsis model was prepared by intra-peritoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) 5 mg/kg. XBCQT was administered by gavage 24 h before, 0.5 h after and 12 h after modeling. The lung, colon and blood samples were collected at 24 h after modeling. The pulmonary and intestinal inflammatory cytokine content of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1) was measured by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. HE staining was used to evaluate the structural damage and changes of lung and gut, and Western blot and Immunohistochemistry methods were used to analyze the expression of occludin and claudin-1 in intestinal epithelium. Finally, the plasma endotoxin content of each group was tested by Limulus test kit. Fecal DNA of mice was extracted and the changes of intestinal flora in sepsis mice were detected by 16S rDNA quantitative PCR. The measurement data among the three groups were compared by one-way analysis of variance.Results:(1) XBCQT significantly reduced the pulmonary inflammatory cytokine IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and MCP-1 expression (all P<0.05), and attenuated lung injury. (2) Compared to the model group, the treatment group exhibited a reduction in intestinal damage and a decrease in the intestinal inflammatory cytokines (all P<0.05). XBCQT increased the expression of epithelial tight junction and mucin of colon, and improved the intestinal epithelium barrier function. (3) XBCQT treatment decreased the content of endotoxin in plasma of sepsis mice ( P<0.05), promoted the growth of beneficial bacteria Akkermansia muciniphila and reduced the expression of Enterococcus in the intestine of sepsis mice (all P<0.05). Conclusions:XBCQT can significantly improve the intestinal inflammatory injury, regulate the intestine epithelium barrier and improve the intestinal function in sepsis mice.