AUTHOR=Zhang Shunfen , Lv Huiyuan , Cai Xueying , Tang Shanlong , Zhong Ruqing , Chen Liang , Zhang Hongfu 

TITLE=Effects of the compound extracts of Caprifoliaceae and Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi on the intestinal microbiota and antioxidant function

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1289490

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2023.1289490

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>According to the Chinese encyclopedia “<italic>Ben Cao Gang Mu</italic>” (AD 1552–1578), <italic>Caprifoliaceae</italic> and <italic>Scutellaria baicalensis</italic> Georgi are used in traditional Chinese medicine to clear heat, detoxify, and treat wind-heat colds, upper respiratory tract infections, and pneumonia. However, the mechanism and the effects of the compound extracts of <italic>Caprifoliaceae</italic> and <italic>Scutellaria baicalensis</italic> Georgi on intestinal health remain unclear. From the perspective of intestinal microbes, this study assessed the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and intestinal protective properties of <italic>Caprifoliaceae</italic> and <italic>Scutellaria baicalensis</italic> Georgi. Mice received diets with or without <italic>Caprifoliaceae</italic> and <italic>Scutellaria baicalensis</italic> Georgi extractive (BCA) for 2 weeks in this study. The results showed that BCA increased body weight gain, feed intake, and catalase (CAT) content in the mice but reduced γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GT) content in the serum (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05). BCA improved the Sobs, Chao, and Ace indices, as well as the number of Campylobacterota, Patercibacteria, and Desulfobacterota in the colon microbiota, while it decreased the Firmicutes phylum (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05). At the genus level, BCA increased <italic>Candidatus_Saccharimonas, Helicobacter, unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae, Alistipes, norank_f_norank_o_Clostridia_vadinBB60_group, norank_f_Ruminococcaceae, unclassified_f_Ruminococcaceae</italic>, etc. abundance (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05), but it significantly decreased <italic>Lactobacillus</italic> and <italic>Lachnospiraceae_UCG_001</italic> abundance (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05). Moreover, BCA improved the concentration of acetic acid, butyric acid, propionic acid, valeric acid, and isovaleric acid and diminished the concentration of isobutyric acid (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05). Correlation analysis shows that the changes in short-chain fatty acids and antioxidant and inflammatory indices in the serum were significantly correlated with the BCA-enriched microbiota. This study supplemented a database for the application of <italic>Caprifoliaceae</italic> and <italic>Scutellaria baicalensis</italic> Georgi in clinical and animal production.</p>