Investigating effect of Faeces Bombycis on intestinal microflora in rats with syndrome of damp retention in middle-jiao by high-throughput sequencing / 中国中药杂志

The aim of this paper was to investigate the effect of Faeces Bombycis(FB) on the intestinal microflora in rats with syndrome of damp retention in middle-jiao, and to explore its mechanism in regulating intestinal microflora from the perspective of microorganisms contained in FB. The contents of antidiuretic hormone(ADH) and C-reactive protein(CRP) in serum and aquaporin 3(AQP3) in jejunum were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Illumina Miseq platform was used for high-throughput sequencing of the rat feces and FB. The ELISA results showed that as compared with the normal control group, the contents of ADH and CRP in the model group were significantly increased(P<0.05), and the content of AQP3 was significantly decreased(P<0.05). After drug administration, the ADH, CRP and AQP3 contents were recovered. Sequencing of rat feces showed that the ACE, Chao1 and Shannon indexes of the intestinal microflora were the lowest in the model group. As compared with the normal control group, the levels from phylum to genus were all significantly changed in model group, and Proteobacteria, Acinetobacter, Anaerobacter, Pseudomonas, and Parabacteroides levels were significantly increased(P<0.05), while Marvinbryantia level was significantly decreased(P<0.05). As compared with the model group, Proteobacteria was significantly decreased in the FB low and high dose groups(P<0.05), and Acinetobacter, Anaerobacter, Pseudomonas, Parabacteroides levels were significantly decreased in the low, medium and high dose groups(P<0.05), while Lachnoanaerobaculum, Intestinimonas and Marvinbryantia were increased significantly in the high dose group(P<0.05). Sequencing analysis of FB showed that the relative abundance of Leclercia, Pantoea, Brachybacterium, Shimwellia, Hartmannibacter, Klebsiella, Serratia, Aurantimonas, Paenibacillus and Bacillus was high in the FB, but they were basically not present or little in the rat feces. In conclusion, FB may play a role in the treatment of "syndrome of damp retention in middle-jiao" by balancing the intestinal microflora, and this effect may be related to the metabolites of microorganisms in the FB.

Effects of Pogostemon cablin on gastrointestinal function of rats with syndrome of damp retention in middle-jiao / 中国中药杂志

To investigate the effects of Pogostemon cablin(patchouli) on gastrointestinal function of rats with the syndrome of damp retention in middle-jiao, and explore its therapeutic mechanism. In this study, gastrointestinal function of rats with the syndrome of damp retention in middle-jiao was evaluated by multiple assays including gastric remnant rate, small intestine propelling rate, gastric juice quantity, pepsin activity and gastrointestinal tissue morphology. ELISA was used to detect gastrointestinal hormones including MTL, GAS, VIP and cytokines including TNF-α and interleukin 10 in rat serum. Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR technique was used to detect relative mRNA expression of AQP3, AQP4 and AQP8 in gastric and colonic tissues to explore the mechanism of P. cablin in treatment of gastrointestinal functions. The results showed that middle and high dose of P. cablin (3.24, 6.48 g•kg⁻¹) could obviously decrease the gastric remnant rate, promote gastric emptying, increase the small intestine propelling rate(P<0.05), speed up the propulsive movement of gastrointestinal tract, increase the secretion and acidity of gastric juice, increase the activity of pepsin, and improve the injury of gastrointestinal tissue. All the doses of P. cablin could increase the concentration of MTL and GAS in serum, reduce the concentration of VIP, TNF-α and IL-10 in serum, decrease the mRNA expression of AQP3 in gastric and colonic tissues, and increase the expression levels of AQP4 and AQP8 in colonic tissues. The regulatory effects were better in middle and high dose groups. In conclusion, regulation of the levels of gastrointestinal hormones, inflammatory cytokines and aquaporins may be the paths for P. cablin to maintain normal gastrointestinal function of rats with the syndrome of damp retention in middle-jiao. The results of the study laid a foundation for clarifying the treatment mechanism of aromatic damp-resolving drugs for indications including damp retention in middle-jiao and transformation failure of spleen.

Effect of Huangqin Zhengqi Capsule on Gastrointestinal Function in Rats with Syndrome of Damp Retention in Middle-jiao / 中药新药与临床药理

Objective To explore the therapeutic mechanism of Huangqin Zhengqi Capsule(HZC)for the syndrome of damp retention in middle-jiao.Methods The rat model of damp retention in middle-jiao was established according to the literature.HZC was administered by gastric gavage in the dosage of 0.175,0.350 and 0.700 g/kg.After treatment,the serum gastrin content,small intestinal absorbency to D-xylose,small intestinal peristalsis,activities of gastric mucosal protective factors such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase(CAT)as well as gastric pathologic changes were observed.Results HZC can obviously increase serum gastrin content,increase small intestinal absorbency to D-xylose and peristalsis of small intestine,increase the activities of SOD and CAT,as well as improve the gastric pathologic changes in model rats(P