Effects of Massa Medicata Fermentata on the intestinal pathogenic flagella bacteria and visceral hypersensitivity in rats with irritable bowel syndrome.

Objective

To investigate the effect of Massa Medicata Fermentata (MMF) on the changes of pathogenic flagellar bacteria and visceral hypersensitivity in rats with diarrhea irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D).

Methods

Thirty adult SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group (n = 10), model control group (n = 10), and MMF group (n = 10). Acetic acid enema combined with restraint stress was used to build the IBS-D visceral hypersensitivity model; Abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) test was used to assess the visceral sensitivity of rats; 16SrRNA sequencing was used to analyze the changes of intestinal bacteria in each group, and the content of pathogenic flagellated bacteria were quantitatively counted; The content of flagellin in colonic mucosa was detected by ELISA; TLR5 protein in colonic mucosa of rats was detected by Western Blot.

Results

After IBS-D modeling, the visceral sensitivity of rats was significantly higher in the model control group than that in the normal control group (p = 0.0061), while it was significantly decreased in MMF group compared with the model control group (p = 0.0217), but without significant difference compared with the normal control group (p = 0.6851). The number of fecal Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in the model group were significantly decreased compared with the normal control group (p < 0.0001); While they were significantly increased in the MMF group compared with the model control group and normal control group (p = 0.009; p < 0.0001). The amount of fecal pathogenic flagellated bacteria in the model group was significantly increased compared with the normal control group (p = 0.001); However it was significantly reduced in MMF group compared with the model group (p = 0.026), which has no statistically difference with the normal control group (p = 0.6486). The content of flagellin in colonic mucosa was significantly increased in the model group when compared with the normal control group (p < 0.0001), and it was decreased in MMF group compared with the normal control group (p < 0.0001), but there was no statistical difference with the normal control group (p = 0.6545). The expression level of TLR5 protein in colonic mucosa of rat was significantly increased in model control group compared with the normal control group (p = 0.0034), However, it was significantly decreased in MMF group compared with normal control group (p = 0.0019), but it was no statistical difference with the normal control group (p = 0.7519).

Conclusion

MMF can reduce visceral hypersensitivity by decreasing the content of pathogenic flagellated bacteria and their flagellin and inhibiting its specific receptor TLR5 protein expression in colonic mucosa in IBS-D rats.