The intestinal microbiota is a complex ecosystem consisting of various microorganisms that expands human genetic repertoire and therefore affects human health and disease. The metabolic processes and signal transduction pathways of the host and intestinal microorganisms are intimately linked, and abnormal progression of each process leads to changes in the intestinal environment. Alterations in microbial communities lead to changes in functional structures based on the metabolites produced in the gut, and these environmental changes result in various bacterial infections and chronic enteric inflammatory diseases. Here, we illustrate how antibiotics are associated with an increased risk of antibiotic-associated diseases by driving intestinal environment changes that favor the proliferation and virulence of pathogens. Understanding the pathogenesis caused by antibiotics would be a crucial key to the treatment of antibiotic-associated diseases by mitigating changes in the intestinal environment and restoring it to its original state.
Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology ; Bacteria/drug effects ; Bacteria/growth & development ; Dysbiosis/microbiology ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects ; Humans ; Intestines/drug effects ; Intestines/microbiology ; Symbiosis/drug effects

Focusing on the relationship of intestinal microecology with the physiologic function and pathologic manifestation, literature in recent years on mechanisms of Chinese wedicinal compounds for regulating disease associated intestinal microecology are reviewed in this paper, so as to provide a new approach and idea for scientific research and clinical application of Chinese wedicinal compounds.
Biodiversity ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Intestines ; drug effects ; microbiology ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

The ralationship between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and intestinal microecology is increasingly being given more and more attention. Combined with the devolopment of intestinal microecology disciplines, effects of TCM on regulation of intestinal microecology have been gradually explained. Both clinical studies and animal experiments have confirmed that TCM can maintain the balance of intestinal microecology and regulate the intestinal flora. The author arrangemented the documents related to Chinese herbal compound adjusting intestinal flora in the recent ten years, summarized that the Chinese herbal compound which can strength spleen and replenish Qi, relax bowels and regulate Qi, dissipate dampness and check diarrhea, clear away heat and toxic materials, promote digestion and relieve stasis had certain regulation effects on intestinal microecology, providing basis for revealing the TCM essence of intestinal microecology.
Animals ; Digestion ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; drug effects ; Humans ; Intestines ; drug effects ; microbiology ; physiology ; Spleen ; drug effects ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo study the possible roles of probiotics in decreasing intestinal bacterial colonization rate and the incidence of enterogenic infections in premature infants.

METHODSSeventy premature infants were randomly assigned to two groups: probiotics and conventional treatment groups (control) (n=35 each). The probiotics treatment group was administered with oral Clostridium butyricum powder (250 mg, twice daily up to discharge) 24 hrs after birth except conventional treatment. Rectal swab cultures were done at admission, 5 and 12 days after admission, and before discharge. Clinical and laboratory findings were compared between the two groups.

RESULTSThe intestinal bacterial colonization rate in the probiotics treatment group was lower than that in the control group 12 days after admission (60% vs 83%; p<0.05) and before discharge (51% vs 80%; p<0.05). Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecium were common colonization bacteria in the two groups. Diarrhea occurred in 7 cases (20%) in the probiotics treatment group compared with 16 cases (46%) in the control group (p<0.05). Two infants (6%) developed sepsis in the probiotics treatment group compared with 9 cases (26%) in the control group (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSProbiotics can decrease intestinal bacterial colonization rate and the incidence of diarrhea and sepsis in premature infants.

Bacteria ; drug effects ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intestines ; microbiology ; Probiotics ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes of intestinal microflora in two rat models of Pi-deficiency syndrome (PDS) to study the effect of Sijunzi Decoction (SJZD) on intestinal microflora alteration (IMA).

METHODSWistar rats allocated in Group A and B were established into two kinds of PDS models by Folium Sennae and Radix et Rhizoma Rhei respectively. Fecal samples were collected from the model rats at three phases, i. e. before modeling, after modeling and after treated with SJZD. Total DNA of microbial communities in them was extracted and amplified with ERIC-PCR to generate fingerprints for reflect the intestinal microflora configuration. Shannon-Weaver index (H') was used to analyze the diversity of rats' intestinal microflora, Sorenson pairwise similarity coefficient (Cs) was used to compare the similarity of different ERIC-PCR fingerprints, and Student's t test was used for analyzing the statistical significance of their differences.

RESULTSThe intestinal microflora in both groups obviously changed after modeling and recovered to the primary level after treated with SJZD. The H' of the ERIC-PCR fingerprints at the three phases was 2.20 +/- 0.12, 2.00 +/- 0.10 and 2.27 +/- 0.10 in Group A, and 2.09 +/- 0.02, 1.88 +/- 0.10 and 1.94 +/- 0.10 in Group B respectively, both showing significant differences among different phases (P<0.05). Accumulative curves of Cs showed that the proportion of Cs accounting for less than 60% was 0 in Group A and 19% in Group B before modeling, 75% and 52% for them respectively after modeling, and 4% and 24% after rehabilitation with SJZD.

CONCLUSIONThe H' of intestinal microflora in the two kinds of PDS models were significantly lowered, and could be recovered to the normal level by SJZD treatment (P<0.05). ERIC-PCR fingerprints can be used as a bio-criterion for evaluating intestinal microflora in patients with PDS.

Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Female ; Intestines ; drug effects ; microbiology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Syndrome

As a large micro-ecosystem in the human body,the intestinal microbiota is closely associated with the occurrence of many diseases.The clinical investigations and animal experiments have showed that traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) could maintain the balance of the intestinal micro-ecological system.This review summarized the research methods and literatures on the regulation effects of TCM,including different effective ingredients,extracts and Chinese herbal formulae,on intestinal microflora in recent five years,in order to provide a reference for the further research and development of TCM.
Animals ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; drug effects ; Humans ; Intestines ; microbiology ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Research ; trends

The applicator therapy is a unique method to treat infant diarrhea in traditional Chinese medicines and widely applied in clinical practice. Currently, many researchers have proved the rationality of the therapy based on the traditional Chinese medicine mechanism and on the data from clinical practice, but its action mechanism is uncertain at present. In this study, with the assistance of pediatric practitioners, the automated ribosomal intergenic-spacer analysis (ARISA) was adopted to study the effect of the adjuvant therapy with Dingguier umbilical paste on intestinal flora of diarrhea infants, in which Dingguier umbilical paste served as the adjuvant therapy in oral traditional Chinese medicines and fecal samples of infants with different diarrhea symptoms were collected and used as the study materials. The results showed that the adjuvant therapy had a significant effect on the shift of intestinal flora, which was associated with the decrease in the similarity difference to the normal control group and the increase in the number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) shared with the normal control group. Additionally, adjuvant therapy with Dingguier umbilical paste also showed long action duration and increased OTUs number. These results indicated that Dingguier umbilical paste has the effect in restoring the micro-ecosystem of unbalanced intestinal bacteria. Intestinal flora may be one of major targets for the applicator therapy for the infant diarrhea, but not for the single oral traditional Chinese medicine for infant diarrhea.
Adjuvants, Pharmaceutic ; therapeutic use ; Diarrhea ; drug therapy ; microbiology ; Feces ; microbiology ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Intestines ; drug effects ; microbiology ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Ointments ; Treatment Outcome ; Umbilicus

OBJECTIVEOver the past several decades, there has been a significant increase in allergy and asthma in the world, which correlates with alterations in microflora and widespread use of antibiotics. The authors have developed a mouse model of antibiotics-induced microbiota disruption. In that model, mice were challenged by intranasal exposure to Aspergillus fumigatus allergens to explore the relation of allergic airway response and intestinal microflora disruption.

METHODSSixty female BALB/c mice were divided at random into 6 groups with 10 mice in each. (1) First antibiotic therapy group: the mice were given oral cefoperazone for 7 days, on day 7, mice were inoculated with Candida albicans (10(9)/ml, 50 microl) orally. (2) First control group: the mice were treated as first antibiotic therapy group, but cefoperazone and Candida albicans were replaced by saline. The mice in groups (1) and (2) were sacrificed on day 8, and cecal contents were collected for quantitative analysis of the intestinal bacterial flora. (3) Antibiotic therapy and challenge group: the mice were treated as the first antibiotic therapy group, then challenged (day 9 and 16) by intranasal exposure to Aspergillus fumigatus allergen. (4) Second antibiotic therapy group: the mice were treated as the first antibiotic therapy group, then challenged (day 9 and 16) by intranasal exposure to saline. (5) Challenge group: the mice were treated as the first control group, then challenged (day 9 and 16) by intranasal exposure to Aspergillus fumigatus allergen. (6) Second control group: the mice were treated as the first control group, then challenged (day 9 and 16) by intranasal exposure to saline. The mice in (3) - (6) group were killed for analysis of allergic airway response on day 19.

RESULTSThe quantity of Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcus, Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in first antibiotic therapy group was significantly lower than that in the first control group, the quantity of Candida albicans increased in the first antibiotic therapy group as compared with the first control group. Mice intestinal microflora were disrupted with weight reduction and increased moisture in feces. After challenging with Aspergillus fumigatus allergens via intranasal inhalation, the total cell count, eosinophils, lymphocytes and neutrophils increased in BALF, especially in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from the mice in antibiotic therapy and challenge groups. IL-4 level in BALF from antibiotic therapy and challenge group (45.35 +/- 2.36) pg/ml was higher than that in the second control group (35.32 +/- 2.53) pg/ml. The expression of GATA-3 mRNA in the mice lung tissue (0.569 +/- 0.023) was higher than that in the second control group (0.410 +/- 0.020), and the ratios of T-bet/GATA-3 (0.578 +/- 0.021) decreased as compared with that in the second control group (0.804 +/- 0.035). IFN-gamma level in BALF from any group was not significantly different. In the absence of antibiotics, mice exposed to Aspergillus fumigatus allergen did not develop an allergic response in the airways.

CONCLUSIONSThe allergic (Th2) immune response can be induced by airway challenge with Aspergillus fumigatus allergen in the mice in which the intestinal microflora disruption resulted from antibiotic therapy, this result suggests that the intestinal microflora disruption resulted from antibiotic therapy is a risk factor for allergy and asthma.

Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; adverse effects ; Antibiosis ; Aspergillus fumigatus ; chemistry ; growth & development ; Asthma ; drug therapy ; microbiology ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; microbiology ; Cefoperazone ; therapeutic use ; Disease Models, Animal ; Eosinophils ; drug effects ; microbiology ; Female ; Hypersensitivity ; drug therapy ; microbiology ; Hypersensitivity, Immediate ; microbiology ; Intestines ; drug effects ; microbiology ; physiopathology ; Lung ; drug effects ; microbiology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Ovalbumin ; adverse effects ; immunology ; Respiratory System ; microbiology

OBJECTIVETo compare the effect of intestinal flora on the metabolism of the Banxia Xiexin Tang (BXT) full prescription group, the sweet-nourishing group and saponins contained in single ingredients ginseng and liquorices.

METHODThe anaerobic incubation technology for intestinal flora in vitro was adopted to incubate the BXT full prescription group, the sweet-nourishing group and extracting solution of the single ingredients, under anaerobic conditions at 37 degrees C. Samples of different incubating time points were collected. The high-speed separation and content determination of various prototypes and metabolites were conducted with LC-MS/MS method, and then their degradation rate K was calculated to observe the difference and characteristics in metabolism of different compatible groups.

RESULTIntestinal flora could transform saponins into their metabolites. Having comparing spss one factor variance, we learned the difference in saponin metabolites of different compatible groups. As for the degradation rate of glycyrrhizic acid, the sweet-nourishing group > the full prescription group > the single prescription group (P < 0.05). Rb1 degraded the most slowly in the full prescription group. As for the degradation rate of Re, the single prescription group > the sweet-nourishing group > the full prescription group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe sweet-nourishing group and the sweet-nourishing group have different effect in inducing or inhibiting intestinal flora. The single prescription group shows in inhibition in metabolites of Rb1 and Rg1. Glycyrrhizic acid metabolites are promoted by glycyrrhetinic acid, which facilitates the efficacy of drug absorption. The compatibility of compounds has no impact on metabolites of Rb1 and Rg3.

Animals ; Bacteria ; drug effects ; genetics ; metabolism ; Intestines ; drug effects ; microbiology ; Male ; Materials Testing ; Metagenome ; drug effects ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Saponins ; adverse effects

We report three cases of recently named Bacteroides spp. isolates, two B. faecis isolates and one B. intestinalis isolate from clinical specimens of inpatients at a Korean tertiary-care hospital in 2011. All isolates were susceptible to piperacillin-tazobactam, imipenem, meropenem, chloramphenicol, and metronidazole.
Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology ; Bacteroides/drug effects/*isolation & purification ; Female ; Humans ; Intestines/*microbiology ; Male ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Middle Aged