Berberine alleviates cholesterol and bile acid metabolism disorders induced by high cholesterol diet in mice

Qihan Wang; Weiyi Shen; Wentao Shao; Hai Hu

doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.150088

Berberine alleviates cholesterol and bile acid metabolism disorders induced by high cholesterol diet in mice

Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2024 May 8:719:150088. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.150088. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Qihan Wang¹, Weiyi Shen¹, Wentao Shao², Hai Hu³

Affiliations

¹ Center of Gallstone Disease, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, and Institution of Gallstone Disease, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
² Center of Gallstone Disease, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, and Institution of Gallstone Disease, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardiovascular Disease Translational Medicine, Center for Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
³ Center of Gallstone Disease, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, and Institution of Gallstone Disease, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: huhailc@sina.com.

PMID: 38740003
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.150088

Abstract

Berberine (BBR) is a traditional Chinese herb with broad antimicrobial activity. Gut microbiota plays an important role in the metabolism of bile acids and cholesterol. Our study investigated the effects of BBR on alleviating cholesterol and bile acid metabolism disorders induced by high cholesterol diet in mice. Adult male C57BL/6J mice fed with high cholesterol diet (HC) containing 1.25 % cholesterol (HC group) or fed with chow diet containing 0.02 % cholesterol (Chow group) served as controls. BBR50 and BBR100 group mice were fed with HC, and oral BBR daily at doses of 50 or 100 mg/kg respectively for 8 weeks. The results showed that BBR could reshape the homeostasis and composition of gut microbiota. The abundance of Clostridium genera was significantly inhibited by BBR, which resulted in a significant reduction of secondary bile acids within the enterohepatic circulation and a significant lower hydrophobic index of bile acids. The absorption of cholesterol in intestine, the deposition of cholesterol in liver and the excretion of cholesterol in biliary tract were significantly inhibited by BBR, which promoted the unsaturation of cholesterol in bile. These findings suggest the potential utility of BBR as a functional food to alleviate the negative effects of high cholesterol diet.

Keywords: Berberine; Bile acids; Cholesterol; Gut microbiota.