Aqueous Extract of Lysimachia Christiane Hance Prevents Cholesterol Gallstone by Regulating Lipid and Bile Acid Metabolism in Mice through Affecting Intestinal Microflora

The incidence rate of cholelithiasis is increasing rapidly due to the change of dietary pattern. Many studies have reported the crucial role intestinal microflora plays in the progression of gallstones. Although whole herb of Lysimachia christinae, a traditional Chinese medicine, has long been used as a remedy for cholelithiasis extensively in China, its effect on intestinal microflora remains unknown. Hence, this study was aimed to testify the function of aqueous extract of L. christinae (LAE) on preventing cholesterol gallstone (CGS) in model animals by affecting intestinal microflora. The effect of LAE on body weight, serum lipid profile, visceral organ indexes and histomorphology was also studied in male C57BL/6 mice, which was induced by lithogenic diet. After the 8-week study, comparing with the model group, CGS formation were greatly reduced after the medication of LAE. LAE can also reduce body weight gain and hyperlipidemia as well as restore histomorphology changes. What's more, the intestinal microflora exhibited significant variation. In the model group fed with lithogenic diet, the genera unclassified_Porphyromonadaceae, Lactobacillus and Alloprevotella decreased, but on the contrary Akkermansia was dramatically increased compared with the control check group, which were fed with normal diet. The administration of LAE can reverse this change. These results imply that L. christinae can be considered as an efficient therapy of eliminating CGS induced by high fat and high cholesterol diet, which may probably be achieved by influencing the intestinal microflora.