Impacts on gut microbiota of rats with high-fat diet supplemented by herbs of Melissa officinalis, Lavandula angustifolia and Salvia officinalis

Abstract

Medicinal plants are used in traditional, folk medicine and veterinary practice to treat and prevent exacerbations of chronic diseases, diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous systems, respiratory and digestive organs, liver, bile ducts, kidneys, urinary tract, to regulate metabolism and to boost immunity, etc. The therapeutic effect on the body is exerted by biologically active substances (alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, essential oils, and others) that are present in various parts of plants. Understanding the issue of interaction between the intestinal microbiota and drugs based on medicinal plants will contribute to the development of treatment protocols for various diseases, including chronic ones, by the normalization of impaired functions due to plant origin substances. In this study, we determined the effect of Melissa officinalis, Lavandula angustifolia, Salvia officinalis on the intestinal microbiota of white rats fed a high-fat diet. The addition of 5% crushed young dry shoots of S. officinalis, L. angustifolia, M. officinalis to the high-fat diet of laboratory rats significantly changed the quantitative ratio of Escherichia coli with normal and altered enzymatic properties in the intestinal content. The number of typical E. coli in rats fed with S. officinalis and L. angustifolia decreased by 1.7 and 1.6 times; non-lactose fermenting form of E. coli, on the contrary, increased by 1.8–2.1 times in rats fed with any of the medicinal plants compared to the control. Amid the addition of medicinal plants to the diet, it was not possible to isolate opportunistic enterobacteria of the genus Citrobacter, however, an increase in the number of the genus Candida fungi was observed.

Morphofunctional characteristics of liver in rat exposed to high-fat diet and Lemon balm

“…Indirect effect can be mediated by the suppression of certain microorganism types in the animal intestine. Thus, adding 5% of crushed dry young shoots of M. officinalis to the high-fat diet of laboratory rats significantly changed the quantitative ratio of Escherichia coli with normal and altered enzyme activity in the intestinal system (Bilan et al, 2023). The results of Zazharskyi et al (2019) showed that the ethanol extract of M. officinalis significantly inhibited Salmonella typhimurium colonies growth, slightly inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Corinebacterium xerosis, and did not affect Proteus mirabilis, Listeria monocytogenes, and Candida albicans.…”

Morphological changes in the immune system organs of piglets fed with different feed additives

“…Cho et al (2006) reported that yeast extracts rich in nucleotides had a positive impact on the intestinal mucosa and its lymphoid formations, contributing to the development of local immunity. In recent years, the use of phytogenic feed additives, which contain a wide range of herbs, spices, and essential oils, has become relevant (Zazharskyi et al, 2019;Boyko et al, 2021;Lieshchova & Brygadyrenko, 2022Bilan et al, 2023). Scientists believe the possible mechanisms of action of plant extracts on animals are related to the intestinal microflora correction, increased absorption and nutrient assimilation, as well as pronounced antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects.…”