OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Jianpi Huoxue Recipe(JPHXR) on the gut flora in rats with alcoholic fatty liver (AFL) induced by Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet.

METHODSForty Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups: A: normal rats, B: rats fed with non-alcoholic liquid diet, C: rats fed with ethanol liquid diet to make AFL model, and D: AFL model rats intervened by gastrogavage of JPHXR 1.0 mL/100 g per day for 8 successive weeks, 10 rats in each group. Except those in Group D (to them an equal volume normal saline was given for Successive instead), JPXHR was administered to rats in other three groups. At the end of experiment, rats were sacrificed, their blood and liver tissue samples were collected for determining serum activities of alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), endotoxin level in portal vein (expressed by lipopolysacchrides content, abbr. as LPS), and pathological examination of liver with HE staining and oil O red staining. Moreover, total DNA of gut flora were extracted from fresh rat fecal samples by Bead-beating method for determining the ERIC-PCR fingerprint, and a cluster analysis on the fingerprint was performed.

RESULTSCompared with the levels of ALT and AST in Group A (31.15 +/- 7.04 U/L, and 53.23 +/- 10.28 U/L respectively) and Group B (26.96 +/- 8.12 and 52.09 +/- 8.62), the corresponding levels in Group C (92.72 +/- 25.83 and 72.60 +/- 23.31) significantly increased (P < 0.01), while the increments in Group D (65.28 +/- 20.36 and 59.11 +/- 10.32) were decreased (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). Pathological examination showed marked fat deposition in Group C, but which was significantly reduced in Group D. Endotoxin level in the portal vein was (0.033 +/- 0.010, EU/mL) in Group A and 0.043 +/- 0.018 in Group B, which was increased significantly in Group C (0.541 +/- 0.085, P < 0.01) and Group D (0.349 +/- 0.098 EU/mL, P < 0.01), but the increase in Group C was more significant (P < 0.01). The cluster analysis of ERIC-PCR fingerprint showed significant changes in gut flora of Group C and D, which was in Group D partially recovered.

CONCLUSIONSJPHXR had good preventive effect against alcoholic fatty liver in rats, and could modify the structure of gut flora to some extent.