The Primary Study Of The Role Of Berberine On Ameliorating DSS-induced Ulcerative Colitis And Regulating The Balance Of Intestinal Flora

Objective:The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of berberine on acute colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium(DSS)and intestinal flora in mice.Methods:Fifty male C57BL/6 mice(aged 8-10 weeks)were randomly divided into 5groups: 1)The control group(CON)in which the mice were fed with sterile water and intragastrical administration with water;2)Berberine-treated healthy mice group(BBR)in which the mice were received sterile water feeding and berberine(60 mg/kg/day)intragastrical administration;3)DSS-induced ulcerative colitis model group(DSS)in which the mice were accepted 3% DSS solution feeding and sterile water intragastric administration for seven days;4)The DSS-induced colitis with berberine pretreatment group(DSS+BBR pretreatment)in which the mice have received berberine intragastrical administration(60 mg/kg/day)and 3% DSS solution feeding for seven days;5)DSS-induced colitis with berberine treatment group(DSS + BBR treatment group)in which the mice were receiving 3% DSS solution feeding and berberine intragastric administration(60 mg/kg/day)for 4 days at the third day of the DSSinduced colitis.The body weight change of each mouse was measured and recorded every day during the period of the DSS-induced colitis.Furthermore,mice were monitored daily for stool consistency and bloody feces.The disease activity index(DAI)of each mouse were estimated daily according to the scores of body weight loss,stool consistency and bloody feces based previous study.Hematoxylin-Eosin(H&E)staining was included to observe the histopathological changes in colon tissues,and the 16 S r RNA analysis was used to reveal the effect of berberine on the intestinal flora.Results:1.Compared to the control group,the body weight of the mice in the DSS group was significantly decreased(P <0.0001),and the disease activity index significantly increased(P <0.0001).Compared to the mice in the DSS group,the body weight loss of mice in DSS-induced colitis with berberine pretreatment group was remarkably alleviated(P <0.0001).Additionally,The DAI score of the mice in the DSS-induced colitis with berberine pretreatment group was significantly lower than that in the DSS group(P <0.0001).Interestingly,the body weight loss of the mice in DSS-induced colitis with berberine treatment group was reduced,but with no statistical significance.However,the DAI score of the mice in the DSS-induced colitis with berberine treatment group was significantly lower than that in the DSS group(P<0.0001)2.There were no significant differences in the intestinal wall structure and cell composition between the CON group and BBR group.Compared with the CON group,the colon tissue of the DSS group presented hypertrophy of the intestinal wall,destruction of the intestinal mucosa,intestinal gland abscess,and structural damage.In addition,goblet cells in the mucosa and submucosa were largely absent in the DSS group,and widespread inflammatory cells were infiltrated.The muscular mucosa and the arrangement of intestinal glands of the DSS+BBR pretreatment and treatment groups were relatively intact,and fewer inflammatory cells were infiltrated compared with the DSS group.3.The 16 S r RNA results indicated that the α-diversity of the intestinal flora in the mice of CON and BBR group were not significant different.However,the α-diversity of the intestinal flora of the DSS group was significantly lower than that of the CON group(P<0.01),and the proportion of Escherichia shigella was remarkably increased(P<0.01).Compared to the DSS group,the α-diversity of the intestinal flora of the DSS+BBR pretreatment group was significantly increased(P<0.05).Notably,the relative abundance of Escherichia shigellas in DSS+BBR pretreatment group and treatment group was significantly lower than that in DSS group(P<0.05).Additionally,the abundance of Lactobacillus in the DSS group was lower than in the CON and BBR group(P<0.05),but berberine treatment could not recover the relative abundance of Lactobacillus.Conclusion:Berberine could ameliorate DSS-induced acute colitis.Berberine treatment could recover the disorder of the gut microbiota composition in DSS-induced colitis mice,mainly affecting the abundance of Escherichia shigella.