Effects of IQW and IRW on Inflammation and Gut Microbiota in ETEC-Induced Diarrhea

METHODS: The mice were randomly distributed into four groups: (a) control (CTRL) group, (b) ETEC group, (c) IQW-ETEC group, and (d) IRW-ETEC group. Villus length and crypt depth were measured after hematoxylin and eosin staining. The inflammatory reaction was analyzed via inflammatory cytokines (i.e., TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10) using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The microbiota in the colon was sequenced using 16S ribosomal RNA. RESULTS: The villus length decreased, the crypt depth decreased, and the expression of inflammatory cytokines (i.e., TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10) increased due to ETEC. In the IRW-ETEC and IQW-ETEC groups, the Shannon index decreased (P < 0.05). IQW and IRW increased the abundance of Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Clostridiales, Lachnospiraceae, and Alloprevotella; contrastingly, it decreased the abundance of Epsilonproteobacteria, Erysipelotrichales, Prevotellaceae, and Flavobacteriaceae compared to the ETEC group (P <0.05). CONCLUSION: This study ascertained that the addition of IQW and IRW could alleviate jejunal inflammation and increase microbiota community diversity.