16S rRNA gene sequencing of intestinal flora

Intestinal flora and its related metabolite bile acids (BAs) play an important role in the development of NAFLD. Here, we evaluate whether the NAFLD preventive effect of Astragaloside IV (AS-IV), an active ingredient with low toxicity and low drug permeability, was dependent on changes in intestinal flora. We demonstrate that AS-IV treatment alleviated high-fat diet (HFD)-induced metabolic impairments, particularly hepatic steatosis. These changes occur in the setting of decreased intestinal bile salt hydrolase (BSH)-expressing flora.