Akebia quinata fruit ethanol extract alleviates dextran sulfate sodium–induced ulcerative colitis in mice through gut microbiota–metabolite crosstalk

The Akebia quinata fruit (AQF) is known as “wild banana” in China. It has been widely cultivated as a fruit crop in many regions of China and has shown therapeutic effect for the management of ulcerative colitis (UC) in traditional Chinese medicine. However, the underlying mechanisms of this effect remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms of AQF on UC through metabolomics and microbiome analysis. The anti-UC effect of AQF was evaluated using a dextran sulfate sodium–induced mouse model. The results showed that AQF alleviated the symptoms and colonic pathological damage in UC mice, decreased the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β, and increased the level of IL-10. Meanwhile, AQF modulated the metabolic profile of mice with UC. A total of 43 differential metabolites associated with AQF's effect on UC were identified, and they were mainly associated with amino acid metabolism, butanoate metabolism, the citrate (TCA) cycle, tryptophan metabolism, and arachidonic acid metabolism. Furthermore, gut microbiota analysis of fecal samples revealed that AQF effectively mitigated gut microbiota dysbiosis. At the genus level, the abundance of Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group , Bacteroides , unclassified _ Oscillospiraceae , and Prevotellaceae_UCG_001 were downregulated, accompanied by upregulation of Escherichia_Shigella in the model group. AQF intervention reversed these alterations. In addition, correlation analysis demonstrated a close association between these metabolites and differential gut microbes modulated by AQF treatment for UC. In conclusion, AQF ameliorated UC in mice by reducing inflammation, modulating the gut microbiota, and regulating metabolic disorders.