Azoxystrobin Disrupts Colonic Barrier Function in Mice via Metabolic Disorders Mediated by Gut Microbiota

The widespread use of azoxystrobin (AZO) over the past few decades has drawn great attention to its environmental health effects. The objective of the present study was to explore the effects of AZO on intestinal barrier function in mice from the perspective of gut microbiota. Specifically, exposure to AZO could cause colonic barrier dysfunction in mice. Meanwhile, AZO could also cause dysbiosis of gut microbiota. Further studies revealed that the metabolic profile of the microbiota was significantly disturbed with AZO exposure. Last but not least, we confirmed that the gut microbiota played a central role in AZO-induced colonic barrier dysfunction through the gut microbiota transplantation experiment. Gut microbiota mediated colonic barrier dysfunction induced by AZO via inducing dysbiosis of the microbiota metabolic profile. The findings of this study strongly support a new insight that the gut microbiota can be a key target of health risks of pesticides.