Picroside III (Pic), an iridoid glycoside derived from Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora, exhibits therapeutic potential in mending damage to the intestinal mucosa. This study aimed to explore Pic′s regulatory impact on intestinal inflammation and the gut microbiota in mice with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. The findings revealed that pretreatment with Pic mitigated the DSS-induced escalation of the disease activity index (DAI), alleviated intestinal damage, and attenuated intestinal inflammation in mice. RNA-seq analysis, complemented by experimental validation, elucidated that Pic significantly hindered Akt phosphorylation in the colon tissues of colitis-afflicted mice. Furthermore, 16S rRNA sequencing demonstrated that Pic pretreatment effectively rectified microbial dysbiosis in colitis mice by elevating the abundance of Lactobacillus murinus and Lactobacillus gasseri. These observations suggest that Pic′s efficacy in colitis treatment stems from its inhibition of intestinal inflammation via the suppression of the PI3K-Akt pathway and modulation of gut microbiota. This study contributes novel scientific insights into the potential application of Pic in the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

中文翻译：

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黄连苷 III 改善小鼠结肠炎：基于结肠转录组和粪便 16S 扩增子分析的研究

Picroside III (Pic) 是一种源自胡黄连 ( Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora)的环烯醚萜苷，在修复肠粘膜损伤方面具有治疗潜力。本研究旨在探讨 Pic 对右旋糖酐硫酸钠 (DSS) 诱导的结肠炎小鼠肠道炎症和肠道微生物群的调节影响。研究结果表明，Pic 预处理可减轻 DSS 引起的疾病活动指数 (DAI) 升高，减轻肠道损伤，并减轻小鼠肠道炎症。RNA-seq 分析并辅以实验验证，阐明 Pic 显着阻碍结肠炎小鼠结肠组织中的 Akt 磷酸化。此外，16S rRNA 测序表明，Pic 预处理通过提高鼠乳杆菌和格氏乳杆菌的丰度，有效纠正结肠炎小鼠的微生物失调。这些观察结果表明，Pic 在结肠炎治疗中的功效源于其通过抑制 PI3K-Akt 通路和调节肠道微生物群来抑制肠道炎症。这项研究为 Pic 在炎症性肠病 (IBD) 治疗中的潜在应用提供了新的科学见解。