Herbal Formula-3 alleviates food allergy in mice by modulating the composition of the gut microbiota. Herbal Formula-3 alleviates food allergy in mice

Formula-3, an herbal medicine formula, had been demonstrated to inhibit food allergy in rats by stabilizing mast cells. However, it is not clear how Formula-3 modulates the composition of the intestinal microbiota and alleviates food allergy. We performed 16S rDNA sequencing of gut metagenome in fecal samples, and investigated the effect of Formula-3 on healthy mice and food allergy (FA) mice. We found that Formula-3 decreased gut community richness, increased Lactobacillus and the Bacteroides-to-Prevotella ratio in mice. Additionally, it altered the functional pathways such as energy metabolism and transport system metabolism. It will provide insights into the interaction between herbal formula and gut microbiota, and the potential mechanism of TCMs for disease alleviations.