Ocimum sanctum, Zingiber officinale, and Piper nigrum extracts and their effects on gut microbiota modulations (prebiotic potential), basal inflammatory markers and lipid levels: oral supplementation study in healthy rats

• Published in: Pharmaceutical biology 2022-12, Vol.60 (1), p.437-450
• Main Authors: Kondapalli, Narendra Babu, Hemalatha, Rajkumar, Uppala, Satyanarayana, Yathapu, Srinivas Reddy, Mohammed, Shujauddin, Venkata Surekha, Mullapudi, Rajendran, Ananthan, Bharadwaj, Dinesh Kumar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - isolation & purification; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - pharmacology; beneficial bacteria; Bioavailability; Dietary supplements; Essential oils; Female; Flavones; Fructooligosaccharides; Gallic acid; Gastrointestinal Microbiome - drug effects; Hematology; Herbal extracts on endotoxin; Immunomodulation; Inflammation; Inflammation - drug therapy; Insulin; Interleukin 6; Intestinal microflora; Lipids; Lipids - blood; Lipopolysaccharides; Medicine, Traditional; Methyl eugenol; Microbiota; Ocimum sanctum; Ocimum sanctum - chemistry; Oils, Volatile - isolation & purification; Oils, Volatile - pharmacology; Phenolic compounds; Piper nigrum; Piper nigrum - chemistry; Piperine; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Prebiotics; Prebiotics - administration & dosage; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; systemic inflammation; Zingiber officinale; Zingiber officinale - chemistry
• ISSN: 1388-0209; 1744-5116
• DOI: 10.1080/13880209.2022.2033797

Ocimum sanctum Linn (Labiatae) (OS), Zingiber officinale Rose (Zingiberaceae) (ZO), and Piper nigrum Linn (Piperaceae) (PN) are used in traditional medicine as immunomodulator, anti-inflammatory, and bioavailability enhancer agents. Active phytoconstituents of OS, ZO, PN hydro-alcoholic extracts and their effects on gut microbiota, basal inflammation and lipid profile were investigated in rats. Active phytoconstituents of extracts were analysed using HPLC and GC-MS. SD rats were supplemented with individual/combined extracts (OS-850; ZO-500; PN-100 mg/kg Bw) and Fructooligosaccharide (standard prebiotic-5g/kg-Bw), orally for 30 days. Haematology, lipid profile, LPS, CRP, IL-6, insulin and histology of vital organs were analysed. Caecal bacterial levels were assessed by RT-PCR. High content of phenolic compounds luteolin-7-O-glucoside (430 ± 2.3 mg/100g), gallic acid (84.13 ± 1.2 mg/100 g) and flavones (88.18 ± 1.8 mg/100 g) were found in OS, ZO, and PN, respectively. Combined extract was rich in luteolin-7-O-glucoside (266.0 ± 1.80 mg/100 g). Essential oils including methyleugenol (13.96%), 6-shogaol (11.00%), piperine (18.26%), and cyclopentasiloxane (10.06%) were higher in OS, ZO, PN and combined extract. Higher levels of caecal Lactobacillus (1.7-3.4-fold), Bifidobacterium (5.89-28.4-fold), and lower levels of Firmicutes (0.04-0.91-fold), Bacteroides (0.69-0.88-fold) were noted among extracts and FOS supplemented rats. Significant (p