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Gut microbial diversity in rat model induced by rhubarb
Ying Peng1, Chunfu Wu, Jingyu Yang
1School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200030, P.R. China.
Experimental Animals
|July 23, 2014
Summary
Rhubarb-induced diarrhea in rats alters gut bacteria. Researchers found increased ileal bacterial diversity and a specific Bacteroides-like DNA fragment in feces and gut lining of model rats.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Animal Models
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Rhubarb is commonly used in China to induce chronic diarrhea and spleen (Pi)-deficiency syndrome in animal models.
- Understanding the gut microbiome alterations in these models is crucial for research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate changes in bacterial diversity in feces and bowel mucosa of rats using a rhubarb-induced chronic diarrhea model.
- To identify specific microbial markers associated with this animal model.
Main Methods:
- Enterobacterial Repetitive Intergenic Consensus-Polymerase Chain Reaction (ERIC-PCR) was employed to analyze microbial DNA.
- Samples were collected from various sections of the small and large bowel, cecum, and feces of normal and rhubarb-exposed rats.
- A specific PCR product was cloned, sequenced, and analyzed for identification.
Main Results:
- Fecal microbial composition did not directly reflect the bacterial mix within the bowel.
- Rhubarb-exposed rats exhibited significantly higher bacterial diversity in the ileum (P<0.05).
- A 380 bp DNA product, highly similar to the Bacteroides genome, was increased in both feces and bowel mucosa of rhubarb-exposed rats.
Conclusions:
- The rhubarb-induced diarrhea model shows distinct changes in gut bacterial composition, particularly in the ileum.
- The identified 380 bp product may serve as a potential biomarker for this specific animal model.
- Discriminant analysis established formulae for classifying model rats based on these microbial changes.
