The effect of Poria cocos ethanol extract on the intestinal barrier function and intestinal microbiota in mice with breast cancer

The therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine on insulin resistance in obese mice by modulating intestinal functions

Introduction

Obesity, mainly caused by excessive accumulation of visceral fat, excessive fat metabolism will cause hormone secretion imbalance and inflammation and other diseases. is extremely detrimental to human health. Although many treatments are available for obesity, most treatments fail to exert a radical effect or are associated with several side effects. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for regulating the intestinal flora, lipid content and inflammation is considered effective. Based on previous studies, Artemisia capillaris, Astragalus propinquus, Phellodendron amurense, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Poria cocos, and Anemarrhena asphodeloides were selected to prepare an innovative herbal formula.

Methods

TCM was characterized by UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS. The anti-inflammatory and lipid-lowering effects of the TCM formula prepared were evaluated in a high-fat diet-fed obese mouse model. The effects of the TCM formula on the intestinal flora were also investigated.

Results

Weights and insulin resistance, as well as inflammation, decreased in the mice after treatment. At the same time, lipid metabolism increased after the mice were gavaged with the TCM formula for 2 weeks. The intestinal motility of the drug administration group was enhanced, with partial restoration of the intestinal flora.

Conclusion

In summary, our innovative Chinese herbal formula significantly reduced weight, reduced intestinal inflammation, improved intestinal motility, and improved lipid metabolism in obese mice. Furthermore, the innovative formula effectively prevented relevant obesity-induced metastatic diseases in the mice.

Oral administration of LfcinB alleviates DSS-induced colitis by improving the intestinal barrier and microbiota

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a kind of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that often recurs and is difficult to cure, and no drugs with few side effects are available to treat this disease. LfcinB is a small molecular peptide obtained by the hydrolysis of bovine lactoferrin in the digestive tract of animals. It has strong antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities. However, direct evidence that LfcinB improves the condition of colitis in mice is rarely reported. In this study, UC was induced in mice by adding 2.5% dextran sulfate (DSS) to drinking water and LfcinB was orally administered. The results showed that oral administration of LfcinB improved colonic tissue damage and inflammatory cell infiltration, increased the expression of tight junction proteins, and down-regulated the phosphorylation of proteins related to the NF-κB/MAPK inflammatory signalling pathway in mice. It also significantly suppressed the relative abundance of potentially pathogenic bacteria (Bacteroides, Barnesiella and Escherichia) in the intestinal flora. In conclusion, oral administration of LfcinB significantly alleviated DSS-induced UC. This may be related to the regulation of inflammatory signalling pathways and gut microbial composition by LfcinB.

The effect of an exopolysaccharide probiotic molecule from Bacillus subtilis on breast cancer cells

Introduction

Many well-known risk factors for breast cancer are associated with dysbiosis (an aberrant microbiome). However, how bacterial products modulate cancer are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effect of an exopolysaccharide (EPS) produced by the commensal bacterium Bacillus subtilis on breast cancer phenotypes. Although B. subtilis is commonly included in probiotic preparations and its EPS protects against inflammatory diseases, it was virtually unknown whether B. subtilis-derived EPS affects cancer.

Methods

This work investigated effects of EPS on phenotypes of breast cancer cells as a cancer model. The phenotypes included proliferation, mammosphere formation, cell migration, and tumor growth in two immune compromised mouse models. RNA sequencing was performed on RNA from four breast cancer cells treated with PBS or EPS. IKKβ or STAT1 signaling was assessed using pharmacologic or RNAi-mediated knock down approaches.

Results

Short-term treatment with EPS inhibited proliferation of certain breast cancer cells (T47D, MDA-MB-468, HCC1428, MDA-MB-453) while having little effect on others (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, BT549, ZR-75-30). EPS induced G1/G0 cell cycle arrest of T47D cells while increasing apoptosis of MDA-MB-468 cells. EPS also enhanced aggressive phenotypes in T47D cells including cell migration and cancer stem cell survival. Long-term treatment with EPS (months) led to resistance in vitro and promoted tumor growth in immunocompromised mice. RNA-sequence analysis showed that EPS increased expression of pro-inflammatory pathways including STAT1 and NF-κB. IKKβ and/or STAT1 signaling was necessary for EPS to modulate phenotypes of EPS sensitive breast cancer cells.

Discussion

These results demonstrate a multifaceted role for an EPS molecule secreted by the probiotic bacterium B. subtilis on breast cancer cell phenotypes. These results warrant future studies in immune competent mice and different cancer models to fully understand potential benefits and/or side effects of long-term use of probiotics.

Gut microbiota: A magical multifunctional target regulated by medicine food homology species

BACKGROUND

The relationship between gut microbiota and human health has gradually been recognized. Increasing studies show that the disorder of gut microbiota is related to the occurrence and development of many diseases. Metabolites produced by the gut microbiota are responsible for their extensive regulatory roles. In addition, naturally derived medicine food homology species with low toxicity and high efficiency have been clearly defined owing to their outstanding physiological and pharmacological properties in disease prevention and treatment.

AIM OF REVIEW

Based on supporting evidence, the current review summarizes the representative work of medicine food homology species targeting the gut microbiota to regulate host pathophysiology and discusses the challenges and prospects in this field. It aims to facilitate the understanding of the relationship among medicine food homology species, gut microbiota, and human health and further stimulate the advancement of more relevant research.

KEY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS OF REVIEW

As this review reveals, from the initial practical application to more mechanism studies, the relationship among medicine food homology species, gut microbiota, and human health has evolved into an irrefutable interaction. On the one hand, through affecting the population structure, metabolism, and function of gut microbiota, medicine food homology species maintain the homeostasis of the intestinal microenvironment and human health by affecting the population structure, metabolism, and function of gut microbiota. On the other hand, the gut microbiota is also involved in the bioconversion of the active ingredients from medicine food homology species and thus influences their physiological and pharmacological properties.

Three Strains of Lactobacillus Derived from Piglets Alleviated Intestinal Oxidative Stress Induced by Diquat through Extracellular Vesicles

Previous studies found that Poria cocos polysaccharides (PCPs) significantly enhanced the antioxidant activity in piglet intestines while increasing the abundance of Lactobacillus. However, the relationship between Lactobacillus and antioxidant activity has yet to be verified, and the mode of action needs further investigation. Six Lactobacillus strains isolated from the intestines of neonatal piglets fed with PCPs were studied to investigate the relationship between Lactobacillus and intestinal oxidative stress. The results showed that three of them alleviated intestinal oxidative stress and protected the intestinal barrier. Subsequently, we extracted the extracellular vesicles (EVs) of these three Lactobacillus strains to verify their intestinal protection mode of action. We found that these EVs exerted an excellent antioxidant effect and intestinal barrier protection and could directly improve intestinal microbial composition. Our findings suggested that the EVs of the three Lactobacillus strains could enhance antioxidant activity by improving the physical intestinal barrier and remodeling gut microbiota. Unlike probiotics, which should be pre-colonized, EVs can act directly on the intestines. This study provides new ideas for the subsequent development of products to protect intestinal health.

Role of Huangqin Decoction in Intestinal Homeostasis and Colon Carcinogenesis Based on "SREBP1 Cholesterol Metabolism Treg Cell Differentiation"

Objective

To explore the role of Huangqin Decoction in intestinal homeostasis maintenance and colon carcinogenesis based on "sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1)-cholesterol metabolism regulatory T cell (Treg) differentiation."

Methods

It was decided to utilize a total of 50 healthy Wistar rats for the study, 20 of which were chosen at random to serve as controls, and 30 of which were used to create an intestinal homeostasis imbalance model. It was determined whether or not the modeling was successful by killing 10 rats from each of the two groups. The remaining 10 rats in the normal group were then employed as the control group for the experiment. The random number table method was used to split the rats into two groups: the Huangqin Decoction (n = 10) and the Natural Recovery (n = 10) groups. For seven days, participants in the Huangqin Decoction group received the herb, whereas those in the natural healing group received normal saline. The relative density of SREBP1, the levels of cholesterol ester (CE), free cholesterol (FC), total cholesterol (TC), and Treg cells were detected and compared.

Results

When compared to the control group, the relative density of SREBP1 increased significantly before administration in the Huangqin Decoction group and the natural recovery group, but decreased significantly after administration, with statistical significance (P < 0.05) in the Huangqin Decoction group and the natural recovery group; the Huangqin Decoction group and natural recovery group had significantly higher levels of CE, FC, and TC than the control group before to administration, and these levels increased significantly after administration. CE, FC, and TC levels in Huangqin Decoction and natural recovery groups were much lower than those in natural recovery groups, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05), according to the results; Prior to administration, Treg cell levels in Huangqin Decoction group and the natural recovery group were significantly higher, and Treg cell levels in the Huangqin Decoction group and natural recovery group were significantly lower after administration; the decrease in the Huangqin Decoction group was significantly greater than that in natural recovery group. P < 0.05 indicated that the difference was significant.

Conclusion

Using Huangqin Decoction, one may efficiently regulate SREBP1, cholesterol metabolism, and Treg cell development, all of which play an important role in maintaining intestinal stability and minimizing the incidence of colon cancer.

Regulation of Fatty Acid Metabolism and Inhibition of Colorectal Cancer Progression by Erchen Decoction

Erchen decoction (ECD) is a traditional Chinese prescription widely used in the treatment of various diseases such as obesity, fatty liver, diabetes, and hypertension. In this study, we investigated the effect of ECD on fatty acid metabolism in a colorectal cancer (CRC) mouse model fed a high-fat (HF) diet. The HF-CRC mouse model was established by azoxymethane (AOM)/dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) combined with a high-fat diet. Mice were then gavaged with ECD. Change in the body weight was recorded every two weeks for 26 weeks. Changes in blood glucose (GLU), total cholesterol (TC), total triglycerides (TG), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured. Colorectal tissues were collected to observe changes in colorectal length and tumorigenesis. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemical staining were performed to observe changes in intestinal structure and inflammatory markers. Fatty acids and the expression of related genes in colorectal tissues were also studied. ECD gavage inhibited HF-induced weight gain. CRC induction and HF diet intake resulted in increased GLU, TC, TG, and CRP, where ECD gavage reduced these elevated indicators. ECD gavage also increased colorectal length and inhibited tumorigenesis. HE staining revealed that ECD gavage suppressed inflammatory infiltration of colorectal tissues. ECD gavage suppressed the fatty acid metabolism abnormalities caused by HF-CRC in colorectal tissues. Consistently, ECD gavage lowered ACSL4, ACSL1, CPT1A, and FASN levels in colorectal tissues. Conclusions. ECD inhibited HF-CRC progression through the regulation of fatty acid metabolism.

The impact of Traditional Chinese Medicine on mouse gut microbiota abundances and interactions based on Granger causality and pathway analysis

Objectives

The intestinal microbiota is essential in absorbing nutrients and defending against pathogens and is associated with various diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. As an alternative medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has long been used in disease treatment and healthcare, partly because it may mediate gut microbiota. However, the specific effects of TCM on the abundance and interactions of microbiota remain unknown. Moreover, using TCM ingredients and data detailing changes in the abundance of gut microorganisms, we developed bioinformatic methods that decipher the impact of TCM on microorganism interactions.

Methods

The dynamics of gut microorganisms affected by TCM treatments is explored using a mouse model, which provided the abundance of 70 microorganisms over time. The Granger causality analysis was used to measure microorganism interactions. Novel "serial connection" and "diverging connection" models were used to identify molecular mechanisms underlying the impact of TCM on gut microorganism interactions, based on microorganism proteins, TCM chemical ingredients, and KEGG reaction equations.

Results

Codonopsis pilosula (Dangshen), Cassia twig (Gui Zhi), Radices saussureae (Mu Xiang), and Sijunzi Decoction did not cause an increase in the abundance of harmful microorganisms. Most TCMs decreased the abundance of Bifidobacterium pseudolongum, suggesting a Bifidobacterium pseudolongum supplement should be used during TCM treatment. The Granger causality analysis indicated that TCM treatment changes more than half the interactions between the 70 microorganisms, and "serial connection" and "diverging connection" models suggested that changes in interactions may be related to the reaction number connecting species proteins and TCM ingredients. From a species diversity perspective, a TCM decoction is better than a single herb for healthcare. The Sijunzi Decoction only significantly increased the abundance of Bifidobacterium pseudolongum and did not cause a decrease in the abundance of other species but was found to improve the alpha diversity with the lowest replacement rate.

Conclusions

Because most of the nine TCMs are medicinal and edible plants, we expect the methods and results presented can be used to optimize and integrate microbiota and TCMs into healthcare processes. Moreover, as a control study, these results can be combined with future disease mouse models to link variations in species abundance with particular diseases.

The anti-aging effects of Renshen Guben on thyrotoxicosis mice: Improving immunosenescence, hypoproteinemia, lipotoxicity, and intestinal flora

With the rapid aging of the population, the control of age-related disease susceptibility and prognosis faces greater challenges. There is an urgent need for a strategy to maintain the vitality of elderly people. In this study, the effect of Renshen Guben (RSGB) oral liquid was investigated on an accelerated aging mice model of thyrotoxicosis by conventional detection methods combined with multiomics technology. The results showed that RSGB increased the number of neutrophils and lymphocytes, enhanced the function of lymphocytes, and increased the levels of complement and antimicrobial peptides, which indicated that RSGB improved the immunity of thyrotoxicosis mice at the cellular and molecular levels. RSGB corrected malnutrition in thyrotoxicosis mice by improving anemia, hypoalbuminemia, ion transporters, and vitamin-binding proteins. RSGB significantly reduced the lipotoxicity by reducing the level of fatty acids, triglyceride, sphingolipids, and glucocorticoids, thus increasing the level of docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and bile acids, which contributed to improve immunosenescence. The intestinal defense ability of thyrotoxicosis mice was enhanced with the increase of bile acids and lactic acid bacteria by the RSGB treatment. The plant metabolomics analysis showed that there were various active components in RSGB oral liquid and medicated serum, including terpenoids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, tannin, alkaloids, organic acids, phenolamines, amino acids, and others. They have antioxidant, immune regulation, and anti-aging effects, which was the material basis of RSGB. Totally, RSGB protected the thyrotoxicosis mice against aging by improving immunosenescence, hypoproteinemia, lipotoxicity, and the intestinal flora. It will be beneficial for improving the disease susceptibility and prognosis of the elderly.

Poria cocos polysaccharides rescue pyroptosis-driven gut vascular barrier disruption in order to alleviates non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Poria cocos polysaccharides (PCP) are abundant in Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf (Poria). This is a common traditional Chinese medicine used to treat gastrointestinal and liver diseases. Poria cocos dispel dampness and enhance gastrointestinal functions, strongly affecting the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Still, the mechanism is not yet clear.

AIM OF THE STUDY

The latest research found that protecting the integrity of the intestinal barrier can slow down the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Hence, our research ought to explore the protective mechanism of PCP on the intestinal barrier under a high-fat diet and to clarify the relationship between intestinal barrier damage and steatohepatitis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

H&E staining was done to evaluate pathological damage, whereas Nile red and oil red O staining was conducted to evaluate hepatic fat infiltration. Immunofluorescence staining and immunohistochemical staining were used to detect protein expression and locations. Bone marrow-derived macrophages were isolated for in vitro experiments. ONOO- and ROS fluorescent probes and MDA, SOD, and GSH kits assessed the levels of nitrogen and oxidative stress. LPS levels were detected with a Limulus Amebocyte Lysate assay. The Western blot analysis and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR detected the expression of related proteins and genes. The Elisa kit detected the level of the inflammatory factors in the cell supernatant. For the vivo NAFLD experiments, in briefly, mice were randomly chosen to receive either a High-fat diet or control diet for 12 weeks. Drug treatments started after 4 weeks of feeding. Zebrafish larvae were raised separately in fish water or 7 mM thioacetamide as the control or model group for approximately 72 h. In the therapy groups, different concentrations of PCP were added to the culture environment at the same time.

RESULTS

In zebrafish, we determined the safe concentration of PCP and found that PCP could effectively reduce the pathological damage in the liver and intestines induced by the NAFLD model. In mice, PCP could slow down weight gain, hyperlipidemia, and liver steatosis caused by a high-fat diet. More importantly, PCP could reduce the destruction of the gut-vascular barrier and the translocation of endotoxins caused by a high-fat diet. Further, we found that PCP could inhibit intestinal pyroptosis by regulating PARP-1. Pyroptosis inhibitors, such as MCC950, could effectively protect the intestinal and liver damage induced by a high-fat diet. We also found that pyroptosis mainly occurred in intestinal macrophages. PCP could effectively improve the survival rate of bone marrow-derived macrophages in a high-fat environment and inhibit pyroptosis.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicated that PCP inhibited the pyroptosis of small intestinal macrophages to protect the intestinal barrier integrity under a high-fat diet. This resulted in decreased endotoxin translocation and progression of steatohepatitis.

Poria cocos polysaccharides exert prebiotic function to attenuate the adverse effects and improve the therapeutic outcome of 5-FU in ApcMin/+ mice

BACKGROUND

As a first-line chemotherapeutic agent, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) exhibits many side effects, weakening its efficacy in cancer treatment. In this study, we hypothesize that Poria cocos polysaccharides (PCP), a traditional Chinese herbal medicine with various bioactivities and prebiotic effects, might improve the therapeutic effect of 5-FU by restoring the homeostasis of the gut microenvironment and the commensal gut microflora.

METHODS

Apc^Min/+ mice were employed to evaluate the anti-cancer effect of 5-FU in conjunction with PCP treatment. Body weight and food consumption were monitored weekly. Polyp count was used to assess the anti-cancer effect of PCP and 5-FU. Expressions of mucosal cytokines and gut epithelial junction molecules were measured using qRT-PCR. 16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal DNAs was used to evaluate the compositional changes of gut microbiota (GM). Transplantation of Lactobacillus johnsonii and Bifidobacterium animalis were performed to verify the prebiotic effects of PCP in improving the efficacy of 5-FU.

RESULTS

The results showed that PCP treatment alleviated the weight loss caused by 5-FU treatment and reduced the polyp burden in Apc^Min/+ mice. Additionally, PCP treatment eased the cytotoxic effects of 5-FU by reducing the expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines, increasing the anti-inflammatory cytokines; and significantly improving the gut barriers by enhancing the tight junction proteins and associated adhesion molecules. Furthermore, 16S rRNA gene sequencing data showed that PCP alone or with 5-FU could stimulate the growth of probiotic bacteria (Bacteroides acidifaciens, Bacteroides intestinihominis, Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum, and the genera Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Eubacterium). At the same time, it inhibited the growth of potential pathogens (e.g., Alistipes finegoldii, Alistipes massiliensis, Alistipes putredinis., Citrobacter spp., Desulfovibrio spp., and Desulfovibrio desulfuricans). Moreover, the results showed that transplantation of L.johnsonii and B.animalis effectively reduced the polyp burden in Apc^Min/+ mice being treated with 5-FU.

CONCLUSION

Our study showed that PCP could effectively improve the anti-cancer effect of 5-FU by attenuating its side effects, modulating intestinal inflammation, improving the gut epithelial barrier, and modulating the gut microbiota of Apc^Min/+ mice.

Modulating Microbiota as a New Strategy for Breast Cancer Prevention and Treatment

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women in the United States. There has been an increasing incidence and decreasing mortality rate of BC cases over the past several decades. Many risk factors are associated with BC, such as diet, aging, personal and family history, obesity, and some environmental factors. Recent studies have shown that healthy individuals and BC patients have different microbiota composition, indicating that microbiome is a new risk factor for BC. Gut and breast microbiota alterations are associated with BC prognosis. This review will evaluate altered microbiota populations in gut, breast tissue, and milk of BC patients, as well as mechanisms of interactions between microbiota modulation and BC. Probiotics and prebiotics are commercially available dietary supplements to alleviate side-effects of cancer therapies. They also shape the population of human gut microbiome. This review evaluates novel means of modulating microbiota by nutritional treatment with probiotics and prebiotics as emerging and promising strategies for prevention and treatment of BC. The mechanistic role of probiotic and prebiotics partially depend on alterations in estrogen metabolism, systematic immune regulation, and epigenetics regulation.

A review on the advances in the extraction methods and structure elucidation of Poria cocos polysaccharide and its pharmacological activities and drug carrier applications

Poria cocos polysaccharide (PCP) is one of the main active components of Poria cocos that is extensively used in the world. PCP can be divided into intro-polysaccharides and exopolysaccharides. PCP is mainly composed of glucose, galactose and mannose. There are many methods to exact PCP, and methods can affect its yield. PCP and its derivatives exhibit diverse biological functions such as antitumour, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immune-regulatory, hepatoprotective, etc. There is the potential application of PCP as drug carriers. The review provides a comprehensive summary of the latest extraction and purification methods of PCP, its chemistry, synthesis of PCP derivates, their pharmacological activities and their applications as drug carriers. This review provides comprehensive information on PCP, which can be used as the basis for further research on PCP and its derivates.

Analysis of Gut Microbiota in Patients with Breast Cancer and Benign Breast Lesions

Breast cancer (BC) and benign breast lesions (BBLs) are common diseases in women worldwide. The gut microbiota plays a vital role in regulating breast diseases' formation, progression, and therapy response. Hence, we explored the structure and function of gut microflora in patients with BC and BBLs. A cohort of 66 subjects was enrolled in the study. Twenty-six subjects had BC, 20 subjects had BBLs, and 20 matched healthy controls. High throughput 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene sequencing technology was used to determine the microbial community structure. Compared with healthy individuals, BC patients had significantly lower alpha diversity indices (Sobs index, p = 0.019; Chao1 index, p = 0.033). Sobs and Chao1 indices were also lower in patients with BBLs than healthy individuals, without statistical significance (p = 0.279, p = 0.314, respectively). Both unweighted and weighted UniFrac analysis showed that beta diversity differed significantly among the three groups (p = 3.376e-14, p < 0.001, respectively). Compared with healthy individuals, the levels of Porphyromonas and Peptoniphilus were higher in BC patients (p = 0.004, p = 0.007, respectively), whereas Escherichia and Lactobacillus were more enriched in the benign breast lesion group (p < 0.001, p = 0.011, respectively). Our study indicates that patients with BC and BBLs may undergo significant changes in intestinal microbiota. These findings can help elucidate the role of intestinal flora in BC and BBLs patients.

The Traditional Usages, Chemical Components and Pharmacological Activities of Wolfiporia cocos: A Review

As an endemic species,Wolfiporia cocos (F.A. Wolf) Ryvarden & Gilb. is widely distributed, such as in China, Korea, Japan, and North America, which have had a dual-purpose resource for medicines and food for over 2000 years. The applications of W. cocos were used to treat diseases including edema, insomnia, spleen deficiency, and vomiting. What's more, there have been wide uses of such edible fungi as a function food or dietary supplement recently. Up until now, 166 kinds of chemical components have been isolated and identified from W. cocos including triterpenes, polysaccharides, sterols, diterpenes, and others. Modern pharmacological studies showed that the components hold a wide range of pharmacological activities both in vitro and in vivo, such as antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-oxidant, and antidepressant activities. In addition, present results showed that the mechanisms of pharmacological activities were closely related to chemical structures, molecular signaling paths and the expression of relate proteins for polysaccharides and triterpenes. For further in-depth studies on this fungus based on the recent research status, this review provided some perspectives and systematic summaries of W. cocos in traditional uses, chemical components, pharmacological activities, separation and analysis technologies, and structure-activity relationships.

Determination of Cultivation Regions and Quality Parameters of Poria cocos by Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Chemometrics

Poria cocos (PC) is an important fungus with high medicinal and nutritional values. However, the quality of PC is heavily dependent on multiple factors in the cultivation regions. Traditional methods are not able to perform quality evaluation for this fungus in a short time, and a new method is needed for rapid quality assessment. Here, we used near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy combined with chemometric method to identify the cultivation regions and determine PC chemical compositions. In our study, 138 batches of samples were collected and their cultivation regions were distinguished by combining NIR spectroscopy and random forest method (RFM) with an accuracy as high as 92.59%. In the meantime, we used partial least square regression (PLSR) to build quantitative models and measure the content of water-soluble extract (WSE), ethanol-soluble extract (ASE), polysaccharides (PSC) and the sum of five triterpenoids (SFT). The performance of these models were verified with correlation coefficients (R²_cal and R²_pre) above 0.9 for the four quality parameters and the relative errors (RE) of PSC, WSE, ASE and SFT at 4.055%, 3.821%, 4.344% and 3.744%, respectively. Overall, a new approach was developed and validated which is able to distinguish PC production regions, quantify its chemical contents, and effectively evaluate PC quality.

Extracts of Poria cocos improve functional dyspepsia via regulating brain-gut peptides, immunity and repairing of gastrointestinal mucosa

BACKGROUND

Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf (PC), a fungus, has been used for more than 2000 years as a food and medicine in China. It has a very good therapeutic effect for functional dyspepsia (FD). However, the material basis and mechanism of PC on FD were not reported.

PURPOSE

To investigate the function and potential mechanisms of PC including its three extracts (triterpenoid, PCT; water-soluble polysaccharide, PCWP; acidic polysaccharide, PCAP) on FD.

STUDY DESIGN

The study explored the therapeutic effect of PC and its three extracts on FD in rats for the first time and discussed its mechanisms based on brain-gut peptides, immunity and repair of the gastrointestinal mucosa.

METHODS

The chemical components of PC extracts were analyzed and quantified using ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) and gel permeation chromatography coupled with size exclusion chromatography (GPC/SEC). The FD rat models were established using weight-loaded forced swimming and alternate-day fasting for 42 days. After 14 days of treatment, the effect and mechanisms were investigated using ELISA, histopathology, immunohistochemistry as well as Western blot.

RESULTS

Seventy-seven triterpenoids in PCT were identified. PCWP was primarily composed of component A (Mw: 3.831 × 10⁷ Da), component B (Mw: 5.650 × 10⁶ Da) and component C (Mw: 113,117 Da). PCAP was a homogeneous composition with an average Mw of 74,320 Da. PCT, PCWP and PCAP alleviated the symptoms of FD. These extracts promoted the repair of gastrointestinal mucosa and regulated the balance between the T helper cell (Th)1/Th2 axis and the Th17/Treg axis. PCT and PCWP regulated brain-gut peptides more effectively, PCWP and PCAP enhanced immunity more effectively. Further study demonstrated that these extracts may have enhanced immunity via the Toll-like receptor (TLR) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathways.

CONCLUSIONS

PC extracts showed therapeutic effects on FD rats, and the mechanism of action involved multiple pathways. PCAP, which is often discarded in traditional applications, was effective. Our study provides new ideas for the application and development of PC extracts.

Acupuncture ameliorates breast cancer-related fatigue by regulating the gut microbiota-gut-brain axis

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is the most common side effect of chemotherapy for breast cancer (BC). Acupuncture treatment has an anti-fatigue effect and can regulate gut microbiota disturbance in fatigue patients. Related studies have shown that the gut microbiota-gut-brain axis is closely related to the occurrence of CRF. In this study, we first investigated the alterations of acupuncture on fatigue-like behavior, gut microbiota, gut inflammation and neuroinflammation response, gut barriers, HPA axis, and serum metabolomics in CRF mice after BC chemotherapy. Then, the correlation analysis of gut microbiota and other indicators was discussed. Our results showed that acupuncture treatment could exert an anti-fatigue effect and ameliorate the gut barrier, gut inflammation, neuroinflammation, and dysfunction of the HPA axis in CRF mice after chemotherapy for BC. 16S rRNA sequencing showed that acupuncture treatment could enhance the abundance of Candidatus Arthromitus, Lactobacillus, and Clostridia_UCG-014_unclassified and decrease the abundances of Escherichia-Shigella, Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia, and Streptococcus. Serum metabolomics analysis showed that acupuncture treatment could regulate the differential metabolites N-methylnicotinamide, beta-glycerophosphoric acid, geranyl acetoacetate, serotonin and phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis, taurine and hypotaurine, and beta-alanine metabolic pathways. Correlation analysis indicated that there are certain correlations between gut microbiota and gut inflammation, neuroinflammation, gut barrier, HPA axis function and serum metabolites. In conclusion, our findings revealed that the anti-fatigue mechanism of acupuncture treatment may be closely related to the gut microbiota-gut-brain axis. This study also provided a new reference for basic and clinical research on CRF after breast cancer chemotherapy.

The involvement of oncobiosis and bacterial metabolite signaling in metastasis formation in breast cancer

Breast cancer, the most frequent cancer in women, is characterized by pathological changes to the microbiome of breast tissue, the tumor, the gut, and the urinary tract. Changes to the microbiome are determined by the stage, grade, origin (NST/lobular), and receptor status of the tumor. This year is the 50th anniversary of when Hill and colleagues first showed that changes to the gut microbiome can support breast cancer growth, namely that the oncobiome can reactivate excreted estrogens. The currently available human and murine data suggest that oncobiosis is not a cause of breast cancer, but can support its growth. Furthermore, preexisting dysbiosis and the predisposition to cancer are transplantable. The breast’s and breast cancer’s inherent microbiome and the gut microbiome promote breast cancer growth by reactivating estrogens, rearranging cancer cell metabolism, bringing about a more inflammatory microenvironment, and reducing the number of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. Furthermore, the gut microbiome can produce cytostatic metabolites, the production of which decreases or blunts breast cancer. The role of oncobiosis in the urinary tract is largely uncharted. Oncobiosis in breast cancer supports invasion, metastasis, and recurrence by supporting cellular movement, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, cancer stem cell function, and diapedesis. Finally, the oncobiome can modify the pharmacokinetics of chemotherapeutic drugs. The microbiome provides novel leverage on breast cancer that should be exploited for better management of the disease.

Microbiome Assisted Tumor Microenvironment: Emerging Target of Breast Cancer

The microbiome assisted tumor microenvironment (TME) supports the tumors by modulating multiple mechanisms. Recent studies reported that microbiome dysbiosis is the main culprit of immune suppressive phenotypes of TME. Further, it has been documented that immune suppressive stimulate metastatic phenotype in TME via modulating signaling pathways, cell differentiation, and innate immune response. This review aims at providing comprehensive developments in microbiome and breast TME interface. The combination of microbiome and breast cancer, breast TME and microbiome or microbial dysbiosis, microbiome and risk of breast cancer, microbiome and phytochemicals or anticancer drugs were as used keywords to retrieve literature from PubMed, Google scholar, Scopus, Web of Science from 2015 onwards. Based on the literature, we presented the impact of TME assisted microbiome dysbiosis and estrobolome in breast cancer risk, drug resistance, and antitumor immunity. We have discussed the influence of antibiotics on the breast microbiome. we also presented the possible dietary phytochemicals that target microbiome dysbiosis to restore the tumor suppression immune environment in breast TME. We presented the microbiome as a possible marker for breast cancer diagnosis. This study will help in the identification of microbiome as a novel target and diagnostic markers and phytochemicals and microbiome metabolites for breast cancer treatment.

The Application of High-Throughput Technologies for the Study of Microbiome and Cancer

Human gut microbiome research, especially gut microbiome, has been developing at a considerable pace over the last decades, driven by a rapid technological advancement. The emergence of high-throughput technologies, such as genomics, transcriptomics, and others, has afforded the generation of large volumes of data, and in relation to specific pathologies such as different cancer types. The current review identifies high-throughput technologies as they have been implemented in the study of microbiome and cancer. Four main thematic areas have emerged: the characterization of microbial diversity and composition, microbial functional analyses, biomarker prediction, and, lastly, potential therapeutic applications. The majority of studies identified focus on the microbiome diversity characterization, which is reaching technological maturity, while the remaining three thematic areas could be described as emerging.

Lactobacillus casei LC89 exerts antidiabetic effects through regulating hepatic glucagon response and gut microbiota in type 2 diabetic mice

Previous study suggests that Lactobacillus casei exhibits antihyperglycemic activity, however, the molecular mechanism of this has yet to be elucidated. Here, the anti-diabetic effects and underlying mechanisms of Lactobacillus casei LC89 are investigated in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) mice, which was induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) with streptozotocin (100 mg per kg BW). The results show that LC89 at a dose of 109 CFU day-1 decreases fasting blood glucose (FBG) and insulin levels by 35.12% and 28.37%, respectively, compared to the diabetes control (DC) group. Moreover, LC89 treatment improved the insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), serum lipid profiles and inflammation cytokines. The real-time polymerase chain reaction indicated that LC89 markedly downregulates the mRNA expression of hepatic glucagon (GCG), glucagon receptor (GCGR), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase). Meanwhile, LC89 significantly decreases the abundance of Odoribacter, but increases the Alloprevotella, Bacteroides, Parabacteroides and Ruminococcus content. Therefore, LC89 plays a positive role in alleviating T2DM by regulating gut microbiota and glucagon signal pathway-related genes, and it may be a beneficial dietary supplement to regulate glucose metabolism in T2DM.

Untargeted Metabolomics and Targeted Quantitative Analysis of Temporal and Spatial Variations in Specialized Metabolites Accumulation in Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf (Fushen)

Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf is a saprophytic fungus that grows around the roots of old, dead pine trees. Fushen, derived from the sclerotium of P. cocos but also containing a young host pine root, has been widely used as a medicine and food in China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asian countries, and some European countries. However, the compound variations at the different growth periods and in the different parts of Fushen have not previously been investigated. In this study, an untargeted metabolomics approach based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q/TOF-MS) and targeted quantitative analysis was utilized to characterize the temporal and spatial variations in the accumulation of specialized metabolites in Fushen. There were 119 specialized metabolites tentatively identified using the UPLC-Q/TOF-MS. The nine growth periods of Fushen were divided into four groups using partial least squares discrimination analysis (PLS-DA). Four different parts of the Fushen [fulingpi (FP), the outside of baifuling (BO), the inside of baifuling (BI), and fushenmu (FM)] were clearly discriminated using a PLS-DA and orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA). Markers for the different growth periods and parts of Fushen were also screened. In addition, the quantitative method was successfully applied to simultaneously determine 13 major triterpenoid acids in the nine growth periods and four parts. The quantitative results indicated that the samples in January, March, and April, i.e., the late growth period, had the highest content levels for the 13 triterpenoid acids. The pachymic acid, dehydropachymic acid, and dehydrotumulosic acid contents in the FM were higher than those in other three parts in March, whereas the poricoic acid B, poricoic acid A, polyporenic acid C, dehydrotratrametenolic acid, dehydroeburicoic acid, and eburicoic acid in FP were higher beginning in October. These findings reveal characteristics in temporal and spatial distribution of specialized metabolites in Fushen and provide guidance for the identification of harvesting times and for further quality evaluations.