Background

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome, which has become one of the globally recognized threats to health in 21st. The aim of this study was to elucidate the protective effects of berberine on intestinal mucosal barrier by regulating the intestinal flora in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) rats. Methods: A total of 33 rats were randomly divided into the normal control group, high diet model group and berberine group. Changes of intestinal microbiota were detected by the 454 pyrosequencing of the V4 region of 16SrRNA genes. Morphological changes of liver and ileum tissue and serum biochemical markers were observed. Results: Bacteroidetes and Cyanobacteria of M group were significantly decreased as compared to N group, while Firmicutes and Cyanobacteria of B group were significantly decreased as compared to M group. Hepatocytes swelling and number of fat vacuoles of rats in B group were relieved, and hepatocytes were arranged neatly as compared to M group. The intestinal mucosal villi in B group were plump, and arranged tight and neatly, and the tight junctions and smaller gaps were also observed in B group compared to M group. Conclusions: High-fat diet (HFD) can interrupt the intestinal flora and damage intestinal barrier. Berberine can reduce gut permeability and improve intestinal barrier in NAFLD rats. Moreover, berberine can reduce the variability of intestinal flora in NAFLD rats. Our results suggest that berberine may be the protective effects on the intestinal mucosal barrier in NAFLD rats.

中文翻译：

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小ber碱通过16S rRNA基因片段化对高脂饮食诱导的非酒精性脂肪肝肠道菌群的影响

背景

非酒精性脂肪肝疾病（NAFLD）是代谢综合征的肝脏表现，已成为21世纪全球公认的健康威胁之一。这项研究的目的是通过调节非酒精性脂肪性肝病（NAFLD）大鼠的肠道菌群，阐明小ber碱对肠粘膜屏障的保护作用。方法：33只大鼠随机分为正常对照组，高饮食模型组和小碱组。通过对16SrRNA基因的V4区进行454焦磷酸测序来检测肠道菌群的变化。观察肝脏和回肠组织的形态变化以及血清生化指标。结果：与N组相比，M组的拟杆菌和蓝细菌减少，而N组与M组相比，B组的硬毛虫和蓝细菌明显减少。B组大鼠肝细胞肿胀和脂肪液泡数目减轻，与M组相比，肝细胞排列整齐。B组肠粘膜绒毛丰满，排列紧密整齐，与M组相比，B组肠粘膜紧密连接，间隙较小。结论：高脂饮食可以打断肠道菌群，破坏肠道屏障。小ber碱可降低NAFLD大鼠的肠道通透性并改善肠屏障。此外，小ber碱可以降低NAFLD大鼠肠道菌群的变异性。我们的结果表明，小ber碱可能是对NAFLD大鼠肠粘膜屏障的保护作用。