Investigating the Effects of Yunnan Lufeng Aromatic Vinegar Intervention on Intestinal Microbiota, SCFAs, and Metabolites in Mice Using Multi-Omics Techniques

This study systematically assessed the regulatory effects of Yunnan Lufeng aromatic vinegar (LFAV) on the intestinal microbiota composition, short-chain fatty acids, and cecal metabolites in mice. 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing revealed that LFAV intervention significantly altered gut microbiota diversity; the M-L group exhibited 19.98% unique operational taxonomic units, while both Chao1 (496.63 ± 42.14) and Shannon indices (6.68 ± 0.32) increased by 37.46% and 3.25%, respectively, compared to the blank group, indicating enhanced microbiota richness. Species composition analysis demonstrated that the relative abundance of Firmicutes reached 75.4% in the M-L group, a 24.4% increase over the B group, whereas Bacteroidetes abundance decreased to 8.2%. GC-MS analysis detected peak butyric acid levels in the M-L group. Untargeted metabolomics identified 520 metabolites, of which 60 were significant differential metabolites. Cluster heatmap and Z-score analyses demonstrated that LFAV intervention significantly modulated mouse metabolites. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis indicated the upregulation of pathways including neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions and renin secretion. Pearson correlation analysis showed a strong positive correlation (<i>p</i> < 0.01) between Lactobacillus and acetic acid/butyric acid; concurrently, increased Lactobacillus proliferation and elevated butyric acid levels were observed in the M-L and M-M groups. These findings suggest that LFAV intervention promotes the proliferation of beneficial bacteria, which may improve intestinal health. Collectively, LFAV significantly modified gut microbiota structure and metabolites in mice, highlighting its potential as a natural prebiotic or functional food ingredient and providing a scientific basis for developing functional vinegar products.