Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth granule revealed a positive effect on improving intestinal barrier function and fecal microbiota in mice with irinotecan-induced intestinal mucositis

Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth (PCB), a medicinal and edible homologous Chinese herb, has a protective effect on the structure and function of intestine. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of PCB granule (PCBG) on the improvement of irinotecan-induced intestinal mucositis and the regulation of intestinal microorganisms in mice. Our results demonstrated that PCBG supplementation significantly improved diarrhea symptoms caused by irinotecan, as evidenced by inhibiting weight loss, reversing intestinal atrophy, protecting against splenomegaly and balancing oxidative stress. Furthermore, compared with the model group, PCBG restored the intestinal morphology and improved intestinal barrier dysfunction by promoting the expression of tight junction proteins and mucin. Moreover, high-throughput sequencing analysis revealed that PCBG improved the flora disorder caused by irinotecan and regulated microbial community structure, such as decreasing the relative abundance of Bacteroides as well as increasing the relative abundance of Lactobacillus. Meanwhile, the disordered microbial functions in intestinal mucositis mice were recovered more closely to the controls by PCBG. Finally, we found that a robust correlation between the specific microbiota and intestinal mucositis-related index. In summary, these findings revealed the beneficial effects of PCBG on the intestinal barrier and gut microbiota of irinotecan-induced intestinal mucositis, which may be one of the potential strategies to reduce the clinical side effects of irinotecan.