Sinisan ameliorates colonic injury induced by water immersion restraint stress by enhancing intestinal barrier function and the gut microbiota structure

Abstract

Context

Sinisan (SNS) has been used to treat psychosomatic diseases of the digestive system. But little is known about how SNS affects water immersion restraint stress (WIRS).

Objective

To study the effects of SNS on colonic tissue injury in the WIRS model.

Materials and methods

Forty-eight Kunming (KM) mice were randomized into 6 groups (n = 8): The control and WIRS groups receiving deionized water; the SNS low-dose (SL, 3.12 g/kg/d), SNS middle-dose (SM, 6.24 g/kg/d), SNS high-dose (SH, 12.48 g/kg/d), and diazepam (DZ, 5 mg/kg/d) groups; each with two daily administrations for 5 consecutive days. The 5 treatment groups were subjected to WIRS for 24 h on day 6. The effects of SNS on colon tissue injury caused by WIRS were assessed by changes in colon histology, inflammatory cytokines, brain-gut peptides, and tight junction (TJ) proteins levels. 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to detect the regulation of the gut microbiota.

Results

SNS pretreatment significantly reduced TNF-α (0.75- to 0.81-fold), IL-6 (0.77-fold), and IFN-γ (0.69-fold) levels; and increased TJ proteins levels, such as ZO-1 (4.06- to 5.27-fold), claudin-1 (3.33- to 5.14-fold), and occludin (6.46- to 11.82-fold). However, there was no significant difference between the levels of substance P (SP) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in the control and WIRS groups. SNS regulated the composition of gut microbiota in WIRS mice.

Conclusion

The positive effects of SNS on WIRS could provide a theoretical basis to treat stress-related gastrointestinal disorders.

Keywords:

• Inflammation
• intestinal flora
• tight junction
• intestinal barrier
• brain-gut peptide
• microbiome-gut-brain axis

Author contributions

Xu Xiaoying was responsible for data analysis and manuscript writing; Hu Huimei, Zeng Haizhou, Li Boyi, Yin Qiuxiong, and Jiang Yupeng contributed to the article through discussions and data analysis; Zang Linquan and Zhao Changlin provided theoretical guidance; Qian Guoqiang prepared the fundings, writing instructions, resources, and conceptualization. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Data availability Statement

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article. Further enquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by Scientific research project of Guangdong Provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (20231208), Guangdong Medical Research Fund (B2021324).