Bornyl Acetate Ameliorates DSS-Induced Colitis by Regulating Gut Microbiota, Intestinal Barrier and Immunity

This project aims to investigate the ameliorative effect and related mechanisms of bornyl acetate (BA), the main active component of pine needle essential oil (PNEO), on ulcerative colitis (UC), with a focus on the regulation of gut microbiota homeostasis. A DSS-induced mouse model of UC was established, and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing technology was used to systematically analyze the changes in gut microbiota composition of mice after BA intervention, including differences in species abundance at phylum, family, and genus levels, alpha/beta diversity, and identification of key differential genera. The results showed that BA could significantly reverse DSS-induced gut microbiota dysbiosis, inhibit the abnormal enrichment of potential pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia-Shigella and Turicibacter, promote the proliferation of beneficial bacteria such as Akkermansia and Bifidobacterium, and restore the balance of Firmicutes/Bacteroidota (F/B) ratio. Further correlation analysis confirmed that the changes in gut microbiota were closely associated with intestinal epithelial barrier function (expression of tight junction proteins ZO-1, occludin, and claudin-1) and immune-inflammatory responses (NF-kappaB pathway activity, levels of pro-inflammatory/anti-inflammatory cytokines), collectively forming a triple mechanism of "inhibiting inflammatory pathways-restoring microbiota homeostasis-repairing barrier function". The original gut microbiota data of this project provide key support for clarifying the molecular mechanism of BA against UC, and also offer experimental evidence for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease by natural active components regulating gut microbiota.