A botanical dietary supplement from white peony and licorice attenuates nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by modulating gut microbiota and reducing inflammation

Linlin Chen; Juntao Kan; Ningning Zheng; Bingbing Li; Ying Hong; Juan Yan; Xin Tao; Gaosong Wu; Junli Ma; Weize Zhu; Lili Sheng; Liang Chen; Bo Li; Jing Zhong; Jun Du; Houkai Li

doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2021.153693

A botanical dietary supplement from white peony and licorice attenuates nonalcoholic fatty liver disease by modulating gut microbiota and reducing inflammation

Phytomedicine. 2021 Oct:91:153693. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2021.153693. Epub 2021 Jul 30.

Authors

Linlin Chen¹, Juntao Kan², Ningning Zheng¹, Bingbing Li¹, Ying Hong¹, Juan Yan¹, Xin Tao¹, Gaosong Wu¹, Junli Ma¹, Weize Zhu¹, Lili Sheng¹, Liang Chen², Bo Li², Jing Zhong³, Jun Du⁴, Houkai Li⁵

Affiliations

¹ Functional Metabolomics and Gut Microbiome Laboratory, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Biomedical Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China.
² Nutrilite Health Institute, Shanghai, 201203, China.
³ Functional Metabolomics and Gut Microbiome Laboratory, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Biomedical Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China; Huzhou Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Huzhou Central Hospital, Affiliated Central Hospital Huzhou University, Huzhou, 313000, China. Electronic address: zhongjing1003@126.com.
⁴ Nutrilite Health Institute, Shanghai, 201203, China. Electronic address: eric.du@amway.com.
⁵ Functional Metabolomics and Gut Microbiome Laboratory, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Biomedical Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, China. Electronic address: houkai1976@126.com.

PMID: 34403877
DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2021.153693

Abstract

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an obesity-related metabolic disease that is highly associated with gut dysbiosis and inflammation. A botanical dietary supplement, mainly containing an herbal pair of white peony root and licorice as well as grape seeds and broccoli extracts (WLT), exerts auxiliary protection against chemical liver injury. However, it is unclear whether WLT protects against the development of NAFLD induced by a high energy diet.

Purpose: To investigate the protective role of WLT against NAFLD development induced by a high-fat and high-sucrose (HFHS) diet and its mechanism of action.

Methods: We investigated the anti-NAFLD effects of WLT on a HFHS diet-induced NAFLD C57BL/6J mouse model by detecting the hepatic triglyceride (TG) level, performing histological examination of the liver tissue, and evaluating glucose tolerance and systemic inflammation. Then, we analyzed the impact of WLT on gut microbiota by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, followed by fecal microbiota transplantation. Furthermore, we performed hepatic transcriptomic analysis of mice with or without WLT treatment using the RNA sequencing approach.

Results: Our results showed that WLT supplement attenuated body weight gain, hepatic steatosis, glucose tolerance, and systemic inflammation in HFHS-fed mice. Moreover, WLT supplement altered the composition of gut microbiota, which contributed at least in part, to the anti-NAFLD effect. Meanwhile, WLT improved the intestinal integrity and comprehensively modulated the expression of hepatic genes in HFHS mice, particularly reducing the expression of genes in the toll-like receptor-mediated inflammatory pathway.

Conclusion: WLT is protective against NAFLD formation induced by an HFHS diet, and its effect is associated with the modulation of gut microbiota and inflammation, highlighting the potential of WLT to reduce the risk of metabolic disorders as a functional dietary supplement.

Keywords: Gut microbiota; Inflammation; Licorice; Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; White peony root.

MeSH terms

Animals
Diet, High-Fat / adverse effects
Dietary Supplements*
Gastrointestinal Microbiome* / drug effects
Glycyrrhiza* / chemistry
Inflammation / drug therapy
Liver
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease* / drug therapy
Paeonia* / chemistry
Plant Extracts* / pharmacology
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S

Substances

Plant Extracts
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S