Underlying beneficial effects of Rhubarb on constipation-induced inflammation, disorder of gut microbiome and metabolism

BackgroundAlthough constipation is a common syndrome and a worldwide health problem. Constipation patients are becoming younger with a 29.6% overall prevalence in the children, which has captured great attention because of its epigenetic rejuvenation and recurrent episodes. Despite the usage of rhubarb to relieve constipation, novel targets and genes involved in target-relevant pathways with remarkable functionalities should still be sought after. Materials and methodsWe established a reliable constipation model in C57B/6N male mice using intragastric administration diphenoxylate and the eligible subjects received 600mg/25g rhubarb extraction to ameliorate constipation. Resultant constipation was morphological and genetically compared with the specimen from different groups. ResultsThe constipation mice exhibited thicker muscle layers, improved content of cytokines, including IL-17 and IL-23, and lower content of IL-22. The bacterial abundance and diversity varied tremendously. Notably, the alterations were reversed after rhubarb treatment. Additionally, SCFA and MLCFA were significantly influenced by constipation accompanied by enhanced expressions of SCFA receptors, GPR41 and GPR43. ConclusionThis thesis has provided an insight that rhubarb promoted the flexibility of collagen fiber, reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines and enhanced anti-inflammatory cytokines, and maintained intestinal microflora balance with potential effects on affecting the metabolism of fatty acids and polyamines.