Hypouricemic Effect and Mechanism of <italic>Cichorium intybus</italic> L. and Its Combination with <italic>Puerariae lobatae</italic> Radix on Hyperuricemia Model Rats

Objective: To establish a hyperuricemia rat model and investigate the hypouricemic effects and mechanisms of Cichorium intybus L. extract and a combination of Cichorium intybus L. with Puerariae lobatae Radix. Method: Thirty-six male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into six groups (n=6 per group): Control group, model group, allopurinol group (27 mg/kg), Cichorium intybus L. high-dose and low-dose groups (0.6 g/kg and 0.3 g/kg, respectively), and Cichorium intybus L.-Puerariae lobatae Radix group (0.5 g/kg). Except for the control group, rats in all other groups were orally administered potassium oxonate at a dose of 1000 mg/kg daily in the morning to induce hyperuricemia. In the afternoon, the treatment groups were orally administered the corresponding drugs for 28 days. During this period, serum uric acid (SUA) levels were measured biweekly. At the end of the experiment, blood, kidneys, liver, spleen, and intestinal contents were collected for analysis. The measured indicators included serum uric acid (SUA), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (CRE), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL-6), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), adenosine deaminase (ADA), and xanthine oxidase (XOD) in the liver, organ indices of the spleen and kidney, histopathological morphology of the liver and kidney, and intestinal flora. Result: Cichorium intybus L. improved the activity reduction, mental depression and slow weight gain in model rats. Significantly decreased levels of SUA, BUN, CRE, ADA, TNF-α, IL-6 (PPPPPPCichorium intybus L. modulated the intestinal microbiota by reducing the relative abundances of Firmicutes, Actinobacteriota, and the HT002, while increasing the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes (PPPLigilactobacillus, Allobaculum, Marvinbryantia, Parabacteroides, Dubosiella and Duncaniella. Notably, the combined application of Cichorium intybus L. and Puerariae Lobatae Radix further enhanced the regulatory effects on the aforementioned indicators. Conclusion: Cichorium intybus L. exhibits a significant hypouricemic effect on hyperuricemia rats, and its combination with Puerariae lobatae Radi exerts a synergistic effect. The underlying mechanism may involve inhibiting uricase activity, alleviating the inflammatory response, and modulating the intestinal flora.