Search

As a manifestation of metabolic syndrome in the liver, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the top cause of liver disease in many countries. Recent studies have shown that intestinal microbiota disorder plays an important role in the occurrence and development of NAFLD and that regulating intestinal microbiota provides a new option for NAFLD treatment. In addition, research indicates that risk of NAFLD increases as body mass index rises, and interventions that reduce body weight and change diet can help to lower the incidence of NAFLD. Studies have found that 919 syrup may effectively treat NAFLD in rats by improving liver function and lipid metabolism and regulating body weight and feed intake, however, its potential toxicity and the specific mechanism by which it controls this disease require further exploration. This study assesses both the toxicity of 919 syrup and its regulatory effect on the appetite-related Ghrelin pathway and intestinal microbiota of rats with NAFLD. Results indicate that 919 syrup has no obvious side-effects on body weight, feed intake, blood glucose level, hepatorenal function, and liver tissue structure of normal rats. Moreover, 919 syrup can reverse abnormal changes to expression of Ghrelin pathway genes related to appetite in both the brain and stomach and repair alterations to the intestinal microbiota in rats with NAFLD. This herbal medicine is a safe and promising therapeutic drug for the treatment of NAFLD.

Intestinal microbiota can affect the intake, storage, and absorption of nutrients in the body, thereby greatly impacting the growth and development of animals. In addition to diet, the breed and growth stages of pigs could also affect changes in the intestinal microbiota. However, research on the developmental changes in the ileum microbiota of piglets remains unclear. In this study, the ileum microbiota of Jinfen White and Mashen piglets at different developmental stages were investigated using 16S rRNA sequencing. Physiologically, the villus height of the ileum decreased, and the crypt depth increased during the development of the two pig breeds. Additionally, the serum antioxidant factors in the Jinfen White piglets were significantly higher than in the Mashen piglets at the end of the nursing stage. A total of 690 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) belonging to 21 phyla and 286 genera were identified, of which Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the dominant phyla during the development of both the Jinfen White and Mashen piglets, accounting for ∼90% of all OTUs. Further research revealed differences in dominant bacteria between the two breeds. With increasing age, the ileum microbial diversity increased, and in both the pig breeds, the proportion of Firmicutes increased, whereas the proportion of Proteobacteria decreased. Additionally, different samples were characterized by specific genera, and different Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were predicted at certain developmental stages. Finally, the correlation between the ileum microbiota and physiological features was analyzed, and it was suggested that the host and environmental factors play important roles in the formation of the microbial community structure in piglets. In summary, we delineated the structure, function, and differences in ileum microbiota between Jinfen White and Mashen piglets during different growth stages. This study helps to understand the development of the intestinal microbiota in local and hybrid pig breeds.