Ex Vivo Analysis of the Effects of Hong-Hua-Xiao-Yao Tablet on the Growth and Composition of Rat Gut Microbiota

This project contains 16S rRNA gene sequencing data from an ex vivo culture study investigating the direct interaction between Hong-Hua-Xiao-Yao Tablet (HHXYT) and the gut microbiota, independent of host factors. Fresh cecal contents from healthy Sprague-Dawley rats were suspended in sterile phosphate buffer (PBSc, 1:15 w/v ratio). The supernatant was inoculated (1% v/v) into modified microbiota GB medium supplemented with HHXYT (10 mg/mL). Cultures were incubated anaerobically for 72 hours. Bacterial precipitation were obtained by centrifugation (12,000 rpm, 2 min), and bacterial precipitation collected at 12h and 36h of incubation were subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing (V3-V4 region) to assess compositional changes. This ex vivo approach specifically aimed to elucidate the direct impact of HHXYT on microbial community dynamics (growth and structure) in a controlled environment. This dataset complements the in vivo study of HHXYT in PMS rats (associated with BioProject PRJNA1306799) by isolating the drug-microbiota interaction.