Sanguinarine chloride hydrate mitigates colitis symptoms in mice through the regulation of the intestinal microbiome and metabolism of short-chain fatty acids

Sanguinarine constitutes the main components of Macleaya cordata, and exhibits diverse biological and pharmacological activities. This study investigated the effects of sanguinarine chloride hydrate (SGCH) on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) mice. Five groups were designed to investigate the effects of SGCH on the pathological symptoms, the mRNA expression levels of inflammatory cytokines, colonic mucosal barrier damage, microbiota composition, and SCFAs metabolism in UC mice. The administration of SGCH in DSS-induced UC mice resulted in the amelioration of pathological symptoms, as evidenced by an increase in body weight, a decrease in disease activity index score, elongation of colon length, reduction in spleen index, and improvement in colon injury. SGCH can regulate the expression of inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-10) and tight junction proteins (ZO-1 and Occludin) associated with UC. SGCH exhibited a significant decrease in NF-κB P65 mRNA expression levels, accompanied by a significantly reduced protein level of NF-κB P-P65/P65. Further studies revealed SGCH effectively reversed the decrease in intestinal microbiota diversity induced by UC, thereby promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria such as Akkermansia, Alistipes, and norank_o_Clostridia_UCG-014. Correlation analysis demonstrated a positive association between butanoic acid, propanoic acid, isobutyric acid, isovaleric acid, valeric acid, hexanoic acid with Colidextribacter, while Coriobacteriaceae_UCG-002 exhibited a negative correlation with butanoic acid, acetic acid and propanoic acid. In conclusion, the administration of SGCH can ameliorate clinical symptoms in UC mice, regulate the expression of inflammatory cytokines and tight junction proteins, modulate intestinal microbiota metabolism and SCFAs production.