Sijunzi Tang, Codonopsis Pilosula Polysaccharide and Saccharomyces Boulardii Modulate the Gut Microbiome to Alleviate Dss-Induced Colitis in Mice

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is usually considered to be more frequent in Western countries, but now a recent increase in the incidence and prevalence has been observed in China. Chinese herbal medicine as the main example of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is widely used by Chinese patients. However, the underlying mechanism of herbal medicine in alleviating IBD is still covered.

The gut microbiome plays a key role in which has spurred the development of novel therapeutics aimed at restoring microbial community structure. So, probiotic represents another widely used CAM in treating IBD. Saccharomyces boulardii has showed great beneficial effect on diarrhea, but it is rarely used in IBD.

In this study, we aim to evaluate the efficacy and elucidate the mechanisms of four potential CAM drugs named S. boulardii, SJZT, Dangshen [Codonopsis pilosula (French.) Nannf] polysaccharide or S. boulardii in combination with Dangshen polysaccharide during treatment with dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)-induced mice colitis. The gut microbiome of mice before and post colitis treatments were performed by 16S rRNA-based microbiome analysis. All four drugs profoundly inhibited weight loss, colon shortening, and ameliorated histological damage as well as DSS-induced dysbiosis in mice. Beneficial bacteria– especially short chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing genera were remarkably enriched in the treated mice. Roseburia, Anaerovorax and Lactobacillus were selectively enriched by S. boulardii, while Butyrivibrio, Quinella and Anaerotruncus were selectively enriched by SJZT. Most notably, Dangshen polysaccharide selectively enriched Bifidobacterium, Arthrobacter, Akkermansia, Anaerovorax, Roseburia, Prevotella, Dialister, Megamonas, Faecalibacterium and Subdoligranulum. S. boulardii, Sijunzi decoction, and its main component, Dangshen polysaccharide, are effective in alleviating DSS-induced colitis. Furthermore, Dangshen polysaccharide is a powerful prebiotic that selectively promotes probiotic growth, especially SCFA-producing bacteria. These findings suggest that modulating the gut microbiome may be the common mechanism whereby these drugs improve colonic health.