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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Microbes
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1494348

Berberine alleviates enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli-induced intestinal mucosal barrier function damage in a piglet model by modulation of the intestinal microbiome

Provisionally accepted
Min Du Min Du 1Xinran Liu Xinran Liu 1Xu Ji Xu Ji 2Wang Yue Wang Yue 1Xiaodan Liu Xiaodan Liu 1Chunfang Zhao Chunfang Zhao 1Erhui Jin Erhui Jin 1Youfang Gu Youfang Gu 1Hongyu Wang Hongyu Wang 1Feng Zhang Feng Zhang 1*
  • 1 College of Animal Science, Anhui Science and Technology University, Fengyang, China
  • 2 Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Hefei, Anhui Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: enterotoxic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is the main pathogen that causes diarrhea, especially in young children. This disease can lead to substantial morbidity and mortality and is a major global health concern. Managing ETEC infections is challenging owing to the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance. Berberine, categorized as a substance with similarities in "medicine and food," has been used in China for hundreds of years to treat gastrointestinal disorders and bacteria-induced diarrhea. This study investigated the preventive effect of dietary berberine on the intestinal mucosal barrier induced by ETEC and the microbial community within the intestines of weaned piglets.Methods: twenty-four piglets were randomly divided into four groups. Piglets were administered either a standard diet or a standard diet supplemented with berberine at concentrations of 0.05% and 0.1%. and orally administered ETEC or saline.Results: dietary supplementation with berberine reduced diamine oxidase, d-lactate, and endotoxin levels in piglets infected with ETEC (P<0.05). Berberine increased jejunal villus height, villus/crypt ratio, mucosal thickness (P<0.05), and goblet cell numbers in the villi and crypts (P<0.05). Furthermore, berberine increased the optical density of mucin 2 and the mucin 2, P-glycoprotein, and CYP3A4 mRNA expression levels (P<0.05). Berberine increased the expressions of zonula occludins-1 (ZO-1), zonula occludins-2 (ZO-2), Claudin-1, Occludin, and E-cadherin in the ileum (P<0.05). Moreover, berberine increased the expression of BCL2, reduced intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis (P<0.05) and decreased the expression of BAX and BAK in the duodenum and jejunum, as well as that of CASP3 and CASP9 in the duodenum and ileum (P<0.05). Berberine decreased the expression of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and IFN-γ (P<0.05) and elevated total volatile fatty acids, acetic acid, propionic acid, valeric acid, and isovaleric acid concentrations (P<0.05). Notably, berberine enhanced the abundance of beneficial bacteria including Enterococcus, Holdemanella,

    Keywords: Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Berberine, Weaned piglet, intestinal mucosal barrier function, Intestinal Microbiome

    Received: 10 Sep 2024; Accepted: 13 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Du, Liu, Ji, Yue, Liu, Zhao, Jin, Gu, Wang and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Feng Zhang, College of Animal Science, Anhui Science and Technology University, Fengyang, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.