Data_Sheet_2_Modulation of gut microbiota and fecal metabolites by corn silk among high-fat diet-induced hypercholesterolemia mice.PDF

Corn silk (CS) is known to reduce cholesterol levels, but its underlying mechanisms remain elusive concerning the gut microbiota and metabolites. The aim of our work was to explore how altered gut microbiota composition and metabolite profile are influenced by CS intervention in mice using integrated 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing and an untargeted metabolomics methodology. The C57BL/6J mice were fed a normal control diet, a high-fat diet (HFD), and HFD supplemented with the aqueous extract of CS (80 mg/mL) for 8 weeks. HFD-induced chronic inflammation damage is alleviated by CS extract intervention and also resulted in a reduction in body weight, daily energy intake as well as serum and hepatic total cholesterol (TC) levels. In addition, CS extract altered gut microbial composition and regulated specific genera viz. Allobaculum, Turicibacter, Romboutsia, Streptococcus, Sporobacter, Christensenella, ClostridiumXVIII, and Rikenella. Using Spearman’s correlation analysis, we determined that Turicibacter and Rikenella were negatively correlated with hypercholesterolemia-related parameters. Fecal metabolomics analysis revealed that CS extract influences multiple metabolic pathways like histidine metabolism-related metabolites (urocanic acid, methylimidazole acetaldehyde, and methiodimethylimidazoleacetic acid), sphingolipid metabolism-related metabolites (sphinganine, 3-dehydrosphinganine, sphingosine), and some bile acids biosynthesis-related metabolites including chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), lithocholic acid (LCA), ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), and glycoursodeoxycholic acid (GUDCA). As a whole, the present study indicates that the modifications in the gut microbiota and subsequent host bile acid metabolism may be a potential mechanism for the antihypercholesterolemic effects of CS extract.

玉米须（Corn silk, CS）已被证实可降低胆固醇水平，但其通过调控肠道菌群与代谢物发挥作用的潜在机制仍有待阐明。本研究采用16S核糖体RNA（16S ribosomal RNA, rRNA）测序与非靶向代谢组学的整合分析策略，旨在探究玉米须干预对小鼠肠道菌群组成及代谢物谱的调控作用。将C57BL/6J小鼠分为三组，分别饲喂正常对照饲料、高脂饲料（high-fat diet, HFD）以及添加80 mg/mL玉米须水提物的高脂饲料，干预周期为8周。结果显示，玉米须水提物干预可缓解高脂饲料诱导的慢性炎症损伤，同时降低小鼠体重、每日能量摄入以及血清与肝脏总胆固醇（total cholesterol, TC）水平。此外，玉米须水提物可重塑肠道菌群结构，并调控特定菌属的相对丰度，包括Allobaculum、Turicibacter、Romboutsia、Streptococcus、Sporobacter、Christensenella、ClostridiumXVIII及Rikenella。通过斯皮尔曼相关性分析，本研究发现Turicibacter与Rikenella的相对丰度与高胆固醇血症相关指标呈负相关。粪便代谢组学分析结果表明，玉米须水提物可影响多条代谢通路，例如组氨酸代谢相关代谢物（尿刊酸、甲基咪唑乙醛、碘甲基二甲基咪唑乙酸）、鞘脂代谢相关代谢物（神经鞘氨醇、3-脱氢神经鞘氨醇、鞘氨醇），以及部分胆汁酸生物合成相关代谢物，包括鹅脱氧胆酸（chenodeoxycholic acid, CDCA）、石胆酸（lithocholic acid, LCA）、熊脱氧胆酸（ursodeoxycholic acid, UDCA）与甘氨酸熊脱氧胆酸（glycoursodeoxycholic acid, GUDCA）。综上，本研究表明，肠道菌群结构的重塑及其后续介导的宿主胆汁酸代谢调控，可能是玉米须水提物发挥抗高胆固醇血症功效的潜在作用机制。