Fermented Astragalus and its metabolites regulate inflammatory status and gut microbiota to repair intestinal barrier damage in DSS-induced ulcerative colitis

This project is the first to use Lactobacillus plantarum LZU-J-TSL6 and LZU-S-ZCJ to ferment Astragalus, expecting to change the metabolic composition of the system to improve the efficacy of Astragalus. We used a DSS-induced ulcerative colitis model to validate the results, and we found that fermented Astragalus (FA) as a potential modulator could more effectively regulate the inflammatory status. In addition, the intestinal microbiota of colitis mice after FA supplementation was studied to further discover the value of FA as a postbiotic to improve ulcerative colitis. We found that FA modulated gut microbiota in a different manner compare to unfermented Astragalus, specifically enriching Akkermansia and Alistipes. Our study demonstrated for the first time that FA restored intestinal mucosal barrier integrity by modulating the immune and biological functions of the intestine. This project would provide basic evidence to understand the potential value and mechanism of FA, and bring a new perspective to the prevention and therapy of ulcerative colitis.