AUTHOR=He Zhixing , Kong Xiangyu , Shao Tiejuan , Zhang Yun , Wen Chengping 

TITLE=Alterations of the Gut Microbiota Associated With Promoting Efficacy of Prednisone by Bromofuranone in MRL/lpr Mice

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00978

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2019.00978

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Gut microbiota played an important role in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and glucocorticoids were prone to cause alterations in gut microbiota. This study addressed the effect of bromofuranone on the treatment of SLE with prednisone, since bromofuranone could regulate gut microbiota by inhibiting the AI-2/LuxS quorum-sensing. Remarkably, bromofuranone did not alleviate lupus but promoted the efficacy of prednisone in the treatment of lupus. The alterations in the gut microbiota, including decreased <italic>Mucispirillum</italic>, <italic>Oscillospira</italic>, <italic>Bilophila</italic> and <italic>Rikenella</italic>, and increased <italic>Anaerostipes</italic>, were associated with prednisone treatment for SLE. In addition, the increase of <italic>Lactobacillus</italic>, <italic>Allobaculum</italic>, <italic>Sutterella</italic>, and <italic>Adlercreutzia</italic> was positively associated with the bromofuranone-mediated promotion for the treatment of lupus. This was the first study demonstrating that the efficacy of glucocorticoids could be affected by the interventions in gut microbiota.</p>