Structural modulation of gut microbiota during alleviation of type 2 diabetes with a Chinese herbal formula

Abstract

The gut microbiota is hypothesized to have a critical role in metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes (T2D). A traditional Chinese herbal formula, Gegen Qinlian Decoction (GQD), can alleviate T2D. To find out whether GQD modulates the composition of the gut microbiota during T2D treatment, 187 T2D patients were randomly allocated to receive high (HD, n=44), moderate (MD, n=52), low dose GQD (LD, n=50) or the placebo (n=41) for 12 weeks in a double-blinded trial. Patients who received the HD or MD demonstrated significant reductions in adjusted mean changes from baseline of fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) compared with the placebo and LD groups. Pyrosequencing of the V3 regions of 16S rRNA genes revealed a dose-dependent deviation of gut microbiota in response to GQD treatment. This deviation occurred before significant improvement of T2D symptoms was observed. Redundancy analysis identified 47 GQD-enriched species level phylotypes, 17 of which were negatively correlated with FBG and 9 with HbA1c. Real-time quantitative PCR confirmed that GQD significantly enriched Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, which was negatively correlated with FBG, HbA1c and 2-h postprandial blood glucose levels and positively correlated with homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function. Therefore, these data indicate that structural changes of gut microbiota are induced by Chinese herbal formula GQD. Specifically, GQD treatment may enrich the amounts of beneficial bacteria, such as Faecalibacterium spp. In conclusion, changes in the gut microbiota are associated with the anti-diabetic effects of GQD.

Gut microorganisms as promising targets for the management of type 2 diabetes

“…In this study, cranberry extract treatment markedly increased the proportion of Akkermansia and decreased intestinal inflammation [97]. Finally, a double-blind trial revealed that changes in the gut microbiota are associated with the glucose-lowering effects of a traditional berberine-containing Chinese herbal formula in type 2 diabetic patients [98]. Indeed, this decoction significantly increased F. prausnitzii, which was negatively correlated with fasting blood glucose, HbA 1c and postprandial blood glucose levels and was positively correlated with HOMA of beta cell function.…”

Characteristics of gut microbiota and its response to a Chinese Herbal Formula in elder patients with metabolic syndrome

“…Among the treatments, Chinese Herbal Formulas (TCMs) can serve as valuable therapeutic strategies and drug discovery resources (6). TCMs, which are forms of polypharmacy, have been clinically used in China for treatment of many diseases for thousands of years (7).…”

Characterization of the gut microbial community of obese patients following a weight-loss intervention using whole metagenome shotgun sequencing

“…A higher abundance of Alistipes was also observed in healthy individuals compared to HIV patients treated with antiretroviral therapy or not [35,36]. On the other hand, some studies found Alistipes correlating with health-risk [37][38][39]. Possibly, only in the context of weight-loss, Alistipes indicates a positive constellation.…”