Methyl Gallate Alleviates Acute Ulcerative Colitis by Modulating Gut Microbiota and Inhibiting TLR4/NF-κB Pathway

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a complex immune-mediated inflammatory disease. In recent years, the incidence of UC has increased rapidly, however, its exact etiology and mechanism are still unclear. Based on the definite anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities of Sanguisorba officinalis L., we studied its monomer, methyl gallate (MG). In this study, we employed flow cytometry and detected nitric oxide production, finding MG regulated macrophage polarization and inhibited the expression of proinflammatory cytokines in vitro. MG also exhibited anti-inflammatory activity accompanying with ameliorating body weight loss, improving colon length and histological damage in dextran sulfate sodium-induced UC mice. Meanwhile, transcription sequencing and 16S rRNA sequencing analyzed the key signaling pathways and changes in the gut microbiota of MG for UC treatment, proving that MG could alleviate inflammation by regulating the TLR4/NF-κB pathway in vivo and in vitro. Additionally, MG altered the diversity and composition of the gut microbiota and changed the abundance of metabolic products. In conclusion, our results are the first to demonstrate that MG has obvious therapeutic effects against acute UC, which is related to macrophage polarization, improved intestinal flora dysbiosis and inhibition of TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway, and MG may be a promising therapeutic agent for UC treatment.