Effects of phycocyanin on modulating intestinal microbiota in mice

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different dose of PC on modulating the intestinal microbiota and intestinal barrier in mice. Six-week-old male C57 BL/6 mice were treated with PC for 28 days. Fecal samples were collected before and after PC intervention and the microbiota were analyzed by 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. The bacterial abundance and diversity increased after PC interventions. Saccharolytic bacteria of the Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae, which can produce butyric acid, were increased by PC treatments. Rikenellaceae, hydrogen-producing bacteria were also increased after PC interventions. PC treatment reduced intestinal permeability and increased intestinal barrier function, demonstrated by hematoxylin-eosin staining and decreased serum lipopolysaccharides levels. And the modulate effects of intestinal microbiota were more favorable in the low dose PC group.

本研究旨在探讨不同剂量PC对小鼠肠道菌群及肠屏障的调控作用。选取6周龄雄性C57 BL/6小鼠，连续28天给予PC干预。分别于PC干预前后收集小鼠粪便样本，采用16S rRNA高通量测序技术对肠道菌群进行分析。结果显示，PC干预后小鼠肠道菌群的细菌丰度与多样性均显著升高。可产生丁酸的毛螺菌科（Lachnospiraceae）与瘤胃球菌科（Ruminococcaceae）的糖解细菌丰度经PC处理后显著提升。理研菌科（Rikenellaceae，产氢细菌）的丰度同样在PC干预后得到升高。经苏木精-伊红（hematoxylin-eosin）染色检测及血清脂多糖（lipopolysaccharides）水平降低结果验证，PC干预可降低小鼠肠道通透性并增强肠屏障功能。且低剂量PC组的肠道菌群调控效果更为优异。