The Protective Effect of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor in Intestine of db/db Mice: A ¹H NMR-Based Metabolomics Investigation

Abstract

Diabetic enteropathy (DE) is a diabetic complication and affects the quality of life for which there are limited therapies. In this study, db/db mice were administered with a basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) to explore its therapeutic effect on the intestine. 1H NMR-based metabolomics was applied to investigate the metabolic pattern. H&E and PAS staining were used to observe the morphological phenotypes related to intestinal barrier function. Tight junction proteins such as Zo-1 and Occluding were successively tested by immunofluorescence and real-time PCR. We found that bFGF treatment significantly restored intestinal barrier function. In addition, the administration of bFGF decreased the levels of inflammatory cytokines in the cecum. Metabolomic results show that bFGF remodeled metabolic phenotypes of the colon, cecum, and small intestine in db/db mice, including energy metabolism, short chain fatty acid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and choline metabolism. Hence, this study indicates that the bFGF has a protective effect in diabetic bowel disease by restoring intestinal barrier function, reducing inflammatory infiltration, and remodeling metabolic function.

Long-Term Triclocarban Exposure Induced Enterotoxicity by Triggering Intestinal AhR-Mediated Inflammation and Disrupting Microbial Community in Mice

“…Intestinal tissue sections (6 μm) were prepared by a microtome and stained with H&E and AB-PAS according to the standard procedures as described previously. , Briefly, the portion of fresh intestinal tissues was excised and fixed in a 4% paraformaldehyde (PFA) solution. The samples were dehydrated and embedded in paraffin blocks after fixation.…”