Total flavone of Abelmoschus Manihot improves colitis by promoting growth of Akkermansia in mice

The total flavone of Abelmoschus manihot (TFA), a compound extracted from the flowers of Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medic, has been widely used for the treatment of Crohn's disease, chronic glomerulonephritis and other diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of TFA on gut microbiota and intestinal barrier in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) induced experimental colitis. C57BL/6J mice were treated with 2.5% DSS in drinking water to induce colitis. Mice were orally administrated with TFA (62.5mg/kg, 125mg/kg) or prednisone acetate (PAT, 2.5mg/kg) once daily for 7 days. Biological samples were collected for analysis of inflammation cytokines, gut microbiota and intestinal barrier integrity. TFA-H (125mg/kg) markedly attenuated DSS-induced colon shortening and histological injury in experimental colitis. The therapeutic effect was similar with PAT administration. TFA-H notably modulated the dysbiosis of gut microbiota induced by DSS and greatly enriched the Akkermansia muciniphila ( A. muciniphila ). Moreover, TFA-H remarkably ameliorated colonic inflammatory response and intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction. Interestingly, TFA directly promotes the growth of A. muciniphila in vitro. Taken together, the results for the first time revealed that TFA, as a prebiotic of A. muciniphila , improved DSS-induced experimental colitis, at least partly through modulating gut microflora profile to maintain the colonic integrity and inhibit inflammation response.