Exploring multi-omics alterations in a rat model of infantile anorexia and the therapeutic mechanisms of Lipi compound-composed Chinese medicine.

AIMS: This study aims to elucidate the microbial and metabolic mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of Saccharomyces boulardii and the Lipi compound-composed Chinese medicine in alleviating infantile anorexia.

METHODS AND

RESULTS

The study conducted comprehensive analyses with 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metabolomics to compare microbial composition and diversity among control, anorexia, S. boulardii treatment, and Lipi compound-composed Chinese medicine treatment groups. Furthermore, network pharmacology was employed to identify active compounds and their target genes in the Lipi compound-composed Chinese medicine. The S. boulardii treatment group showed a partial recovery in microbial species richness and significant changes in metabolites, suggesting its role in modulating the gut microbiota and metabolic profile. The Lipi compound-composed Chinese medicine treatment group demonstrated significant improvements in microbial diversity and metabolic profiles, with key genera such as Corynebacterium, Bifidobacterium, and Allobaculum showing substantial recovery. Moreover, the Lipi compound-composed Chinese medicine showed a superior ability to restore ghrelin levels compared to S. boulardii. Notably, key target genes such as CYP1A2, CYP3A4, and PLA2G4A were closely associated with the therapeutic effects of the Chinese medicine.

CONCLUSIONS

Both S. boulardii and the Lipi compound-composed Chinese medicine alleviated infantile anorexia by modulating gut microbiota and host metabolism, but the Lipi formula showed superior efficacy in restoring microbial diversity, ghrelin/GHSR signalling, and linoleic acid metabolism. These findings identify the Lipi compound-composed Chinese medicine as a more effective microbiota-targeted intervention and provide mechanistic support for its further development in the treatment of infantile anorexia.