Vine Tea (Ampelopsis grossedentata) Extract Attenuates CCl4-Induced Liver Injury by Restoring Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis in Mice

Scope Vine tea ( Ampelopsis grossedentata ), a traditional Chinese tea, has displayed various biological activities. The authors aim to investigate the effect of Vine Tea ( Ampelopsis grossedentata ) extract (VTE) on carbon tetrachlorid (CCl 4 )induced acute liver injury (ALI) in mice and to explore the underlying role of gut microbiota during the treatment. Methods and Results C57BL/6J mice injected with CCl 4 are treated with VTE for 6 weeks. By using H&E staining, immunofluorescence staining, quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR, and western blot, it is shown that VTE treatment significantly ameliorates hepatocyte necrosis, alleviates the mRNA levels of toll-like receptor 4 ( Tlr4) , interleukin (Il)-6 , inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) , acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (Acc1) , and increases the mRNA levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (Ppar-γ) and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (Hmg-coar) compared to the CCl 4 group. Also, VTE abrogates the decreased mRNA expressions of zonula occludens-1 (Zo-1) , Occludin , and Mucin1 in colon tissues. Using microbial 16S rDNA sequencing, VTE treatment significantly downregulates the abundances of some harmful intestinal bacteria like Helicobacter and Oscillibacter . In contrast, VTE upregulates the contents of several beneficial bacteria, such as Ruminococcaceae_UCG-014 and Eubacterium_fissicatena_group . Further, VTE fails to improve ALI in the mice with gut microbiota depletion using antibiotic treatment. Conclusions The studies suggest that VTE exhibits a protective effect against CCl 4 -induced ALI in mice by alleviating hepatic inflammation, suppressing intestinal epithelial barrier injury, and restoring gut microbiota dysbiosis.