Nitroreductases (NRs) are bacterial enzymes that reduce nitro-containing compounds. We have previously reported that NR of intestinal bacteria is a key factor promoting berberine (BBR) intestinal absorption. We show here that feeding hamsters with high fat diet (HFD) caused an increase in blood lipids and NR activity in the intestine. The elevation of fecal NR by HFD was due to the increase in either the fraction of NR-producing bacteria or their activity in the intestine. When given orally, BBR bioavailability in the HFD-fed hamsters was higher than that in those fed with normal chow (by +72%, *P<0.05). BBR (100 mg/kg/day, orally) decreased blood lipids in the HFD-fed hamsters (**P<0.01) but not in those fed with normal diet. Clinical studies indicated that patients with hyperlipidemia had higher fecal NR activity than that in the healthy individuals (**P<0.01). Similarly, after oral administration, the blood level of BBR in hyperlipidemic patients was higher than that in healthy individuals (*P<0.05). Correlation analysis revealed a positive relationship between blood BBR and fecal NR activity (r=0.703). Thus, the fecal NR activity might serve as a biomarker in the personalized treatment of hyperlipidemia using BBR.

中文翻译：

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肠菌群介导的使用小ber碱的高脂血症个性化治疗

硝基还原酶（NRs）是可还原含硝基化合物的细菌酶。先前我们已经报道过肠道细菌的NR是促进小ber碱（BBR）肠道吸收的关键因素。我们在这里显示，以高脂肪饮食（HFD）喂养仓鼠会导致肠道血脂和NR活性增加。HFD使粪便NR升高，是由于产生NR的细菌比例或其在肠道中的活性增加所致。口服时，HFD喂养的仓鼠的BBR生物利用度高于普通食物喂养的仓鼠（+72％，* P <0.05）。BBR（100 mg / kg /天，口服）降低了由HFD喂养的仓鼠的血脂（** P<0.01），但饮食正常的人则不然。临床研究表明，高脂血症患者的粪便NR活性高于健康个体（** P <0.01）。同样，口服后，高脂血症患者的血BBR水平高于健康个体（* P <0.05）。相关性分析显示，血液中的BBR与粪便NR活性呈正相关（r = 0.703）。因此，在使用BBR的高脂血症的个性化治疗中，粪便NR活性可能充当生物标记。