[Rifaximin curative effect and mechanism on monocrotaline-induced hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome in mice]

Objective: To investigate the curative effect and possible mechanism of rifaximin treatment on monocrotaline-induced hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (HSOS) in mice. Methods: Twenty-four male C57BL/6J mice were divided into three groups and treated with solvent control, monocrotaline, and rifaximin, respectively. The histopathological changes of the liver and intestine were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The differences were compared in liver parameters, serum liver enzymes, inflammatory factors, apoptotic factors, gut microbiota, and gut tight junction proteins among three groups of mice. The inter-group comparison was conducted using a t-test and one-way analysis of variance. Results: The rifaximin-treated group had significantly improved liver histopathology. The serological levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were (559.04±89.42) U/L and (676.90±106.25) U/L, respectively, which were significantly lower than those in the PA-HSOS model group [(846.05±148.46) U/L and (953.87±58.10) U/L, P<0.05], and were accompanied by lower levels of apoptotic cells and inflammatory factors. Additionally, the rifaximin-treated mice group gut microbiota had higher diversity compared with the PA-HSOS group (P<0.05), and the Shannon index was 7.77±0.10 and 7.16±0.07, respectively, indicating apparent differences in microbiota among different groups. The abundance of Firmicutes in the rifaximin group was 39.58%±0.56%, which was significantly higher than that in the model group (24.25%±0.64%, P<0.05), while the abundance of Bacteroidetes was 54.7%±0.41%, which was significantly lower than that in the model group (70.92%±0.49%, P<0.05). Simultaneously, the expressions of gut tight junction proteins ZO-1 and Occludin showed an upward trend and validated transcription levels compared to the model group following rifaximin intervention (P<0.05). Conclusion: Rifaximin can alleviate monocrotaline-induced hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome in mice, and its mechanism may be via gut microbiota regulation, which in turn plays a role in improving intestinal barrier function.