XUE Wenjing, SU Ziheng, ZHANG Lurong, PAN Yunzhi, LIU Haiqing, WANG Siqi, CHENG Junping
OBJECTIVE To investigate the protective effect of Qinggan Yipi Capsules (QgYp) on carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic fibrosis (HF) in rats and explored the potential mechanism of QgYp in improving HF through regulating intestinal microbiota. METHODS A total of 36 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the following groups:normal group, model group, low-dose QgYp group, medium-dose QgYp group, high-dose QgYp group, and colchicine group. Hepatic fibrosis was induced by intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride oil solution. After 4 weeks, drug intervention was initiated and continued until the 8th week. Pathological changes were observed under a light microscope using HE and Masson staining. The levels of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were determined using an automated biochemical analyzer. The serum levels of hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), procollagen type Ⅲ (PCⅢ), and collagen type Ⅳ (Ⅳ-C) were measured using ELISA. Additionally, another 24 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to the normal group, model group, and medium-dose QgYp group. The same methods of modeling and drug administration as mentioned above were used, and after 8 weeks, cecal contents were collected for analysis of gut microbiota using 16S rRNA sequencing technology. RESULTS Compared to the model group, the rats in the various QgYp groups exhibited a significant increase in body weight (P<0.05). Additionally, the liver weight and liver coefficient significantly decreased (P<0.05). The histopathological examination revealed a significant improvement in liver tissue fibrosis and collagen fiber deposition (P<0.05). In the QgYp moderate-dose group and QgYp high-dose group, the levels of ALT, AST, HA, LN、PCⅢ, and Ⅳ-C were significantly reduced (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference between the two groups. The analysis of gut microbiota demonstrated that QgYp increased the richness and diversity of the gut microbiota in HF rats and altered the composition of the gut microbiota (P<0.01). QgYp supplementation led to an increased abundance of beneficial bacteria, such as g__norank_f__norank_o__Clostridia_UCG-014 and Akkermansia, while decreasing the abundance of harmful bacteria, such as Romboutsia, Blautia, and Clostridium sensu stricto 1. CONCLUSION QgYp exhibits the potential to ameliorate carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats, and its mechanism is associated with the modulation of gut microbiota diversity and abundance.