Microbiota transplantation reveals beneficial impact of berberine on hepatotoxicity by improving gut homeostasis

Berberine has been shown to reduce acute liver injury although the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. Because of the anatomic connection, the liver is constantly exposed to gut-derived bacterial products and metabolites. In this study, we showed that berberine has beneficial effects on both hepatotoxicity and intestinal damage in a rat model of chronic or acute liver injury. Microbiota transplantation from the rats with chronic hepatotoxicity could aggravate acute hepatotoxicity in mice treated with diethylnitrosamine (DEN). In rat models with gut homeostasis disruption induced by penicillin or dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), their fecal microbiota could also cause an enhanced hepatotoxicity of recipient mice. When treated with berberine, the DSS-induced enteric dysbacteriosis could be mitigated and their fecal bacteria were able to reduce acute hepatotoxicity in recipient mice. This study indicates that berberine could improve intestinal dysbacteriosis, which reduces the hepatotoxicity caused by pathological or pharmacological intervention. Fecal microbiota transplantation might be a useful method to directly explore homeostatic alteration in gut microbiota.