الفهرس 
Mechanisms underlying the use of the herbal preparation, STW 5, in gastrointestinal disorders in rats
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Abstract
Background: The standardized herbal preparation, STW 5, is effective clinically in
functional gastrointestinal disorders and experimentally in ulcerative colitis (UC).
The present study explores whether the beneficial effect of STW 5 involves
influencing the intestinal microbiota.
Methods: UC was induced in Wistar rats by feeding them 5% dextran sodium sulfate
(DSS) in drinking water for 7 days. Rats were treated concurrently with STW 5 and
sacrificed 24 h after last drug administration. Fecal samples
were used to determine changes in the abundance of selected microbial phyla and
genera using real-time PCR.
Results: Induction of UC led to dysbiosis and changes in the gut microbiota. The
changes included an increase in some genera of the Firmicutes, namely
Enterococcus, and a decrease in others, namely Blautia, Clostridium, and
Lactobacillus. DSS further induced a marked increase in the abundance of
Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria as well as in the relative abundance of
Actinobacteria and its genus Bifidobacterium. Methanobrevibacter levels were also
increased. Microbial dysbiosis was associated with changes in various parameters of
colonic inflammation. STW 5 effectively guarded against those changes and
significantly affected the indices of edema and inflammation in the UC model.
Changes in colon length, colon mass index, inflammatory and apoptotic markers,
and histological changes induced by DSS were also prevented.
Conclusions: Dysbiosis plays a contributing role in the development of DSS-induced UC. Derangements in the microbial flora and associated inflammatory
processes were largely prevented by STW 5, suggesting that this effect might
contribute towards its beneficial usefulness in this condition