Vine Tea (<i>Ampelopsis grossedentata</i>) Extract Attenuates CCl<sub>4</sub>‐Induced Liver Injury by Restoring Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis in Mice
Ying Li, Haiming Hu, Huabing Yang, Aizhen Lin, Hui Xia, Xue Cheng, Mingwang Kong, Hongtao Liu
Abstract
Scope Vine tea ( Ampelopsis grossedentata ), a traditional Chinese tea, has displayed various biological activities. The authors aim to investigate the effect of Vine Tea ( Ampelopsis grossedentata ) extract (VTE) on carbon tetrachlorid (CCl 4 )induced acute liver injury (ALI) in mice and to explore the underlying role of gut microbiota during the treatment. Methods and Results C57BL/6J mice injected with CCl 4 are treated with VTE for 6 weeks. By using H&E staining, immunofluorescence staining, quantitative real‐time (qRT)‐PCR, and western blot, it is shown that VTE treatment significantly ameliorates hepatocyte necrosis, alleviates the mRNA levels of toll‐like receptor 4 ( Tlr4) , interleukin (Il)‐6 , inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) , acetyl‐CoA carboxylase 1 (Acc1) , and increases the mRNA levels of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma (Ppar‐γ) and 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (Hmg‐coar) compared to the CCl 4 group. Also, VTE abrogates the decreased mRNA expressions of zonula occludens‐1 (Zo‐1) , Occludin , and Mucin1 in colon tissues. Using microbial 16S rDNA sequencing, VTE treatment significantly downregulates the abundances of some harmful intestinal bacteria like Helicobacter and Oscillibacter . In contrast, VTE upregulates the contents of several beneficial bacteria, such as Ruminococcaceae_UCG‐014 and Eubacterium_fissicatena_group . Further, VTE fails to improve ALI in the mice with gut microbiota depletion using antibiotic treatment. Conclusions The studies suggest that VTE exhibits a protective effect against CCl 4 ‐induced ALI in mice by alleviating hepatic inflammation, suppressing intestinal epithelial barrier injury, and restoring gut microbiota dysbiosis.