title: Rhubarb extract prevents hepatic inflammation induced by acute alcohol intake, an effect related to the modulation of the gut microbiota.
abstract: Binge consumption of alcohol is an alarming global health problem. Acute ethanol intoxication is characterized by hepatic inflammation and oxidative stress, which could be promoted by gut barrier function alterations. In this study, we have tested the hypothesis of the hepatoprotective effect of rhubarb extract in a mouse model of binge drinking and we explored the contribution of the gut microbiota in the related metabolic effects.
  
  
  
  Mice were fed a control diet supplemented with or without 0.3% rhubarb extract for 17 days and were necropsied 6 h after an alcohol challenge. Supplementation with rhubarb extract changed the microbial ecosystem (assessed by 16S rDNA pyrosequencing) in favor of Akkermansia muciniphila and Parabacteroides goldsteinii. Furthermore, it improved alcohol-induced hepatic injury, downregulated key markers of both inflammatory and oxidative stresses in the liver tissue, without affecting significantly steatosis. In the gut, rhubarb supplementation increased crypt depth, tissue weight, and the expression of antimicrobial peptides.
  
  
  
  These findings suggest that some bacterial genders involved in gut barrier function, are promoted by phytochemicals present in rhubarb extract, and could therefore be involved in the modulation of the susceptibility to hepatic diseases linked to acute alcohol consumption.
authors.affiliation: Louvain Drug Research Institute, Metabolism and Nutrition Research Group, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Audrey M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Neyrinck
authors.affiliation: Louvain Drug Research Institute, Metabolism and Nutrition Research Group, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.|Department of Nutrition, Food Science and Physiology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain.
authors.forename: Usune
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Etxeberria
authors.affiliation: Fundamental and Applied Research for Animal and Health-Department of Food Sciences, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Taminiau
authors.affiliation: Fundamental and Applied Research for Animal and Health-Department of Food Sciences, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Georges
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Daube
authors.affiliation: Louvain Drug Research Institute, Metabolism and Nutrition Research Group, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.|Walloon Excellence in Life sciences and BIOtechnology (WELBIO), Louvain Drug Research Institute, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Van Hul
authors.affiliation: Louvain Drug Research Institute, Metabolism and Nutrition Research Group, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.|Walloon Excellence in Life sciences and BIOtechnology (WELBIO), Louvain Drug Research Institute, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Amandine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Everard
authors.affiliation: Louvain Drug Research Institute, Metabolism and Nutrition Research Group, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.|Walloon Excellence in Life sciences and BIOtechnology (WELBIO), Louvain Drug Research Institute, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Patrice D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Cani
authors.affiliation: Louvain Drug Research Institute, Metabolism and Nutrition Research Group, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Laure B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Bindels
authors.affiliation: Louvain Drug Research Institute, Metabolism and Nutrition Research Group, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Nathalie M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Delzenne
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D063425:Binge Drinking / Q000150:complications*; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D006519:Hepatitis, Alcoholic / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D007422:Intestines / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012250:Rheum / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Akkermansia muciniphila; Alcoholic liver disease; Antimicrobial peptides; Gut barrier; Microbiota; Parabacteroides goldsteinii; Steatosis