title: Isoliquiritigenin decreases the incidence of colitis-associated colorectal cancer by modulating the intestinal microbiota.
abstract: Imbalances in intestinal bacteria correlate with colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC). Traditional Chinese medicines have been used to adjust the gut microbiota, and isoliquiritigenin (ISL), a flavonoid extracted from licorice, has shown antitumor efficacy. In this study, the effects of ISL on CAC development and the gut microbiota were evaluated using an azoxymethane and dextran sulphate sodium (AOM/DSS)-induced mouse model of CAC (CACM). Histopathological analysis suggested that ISL reduced tumor incidence in vivo. Moreover, high-throughput sequencing and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) studies of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene revealed that the structure of the gut microbial community shifted significantly following AOM/DSS treatment, and that effect was alleviated by treatment with high-dose ISL (150 mg/kg). Compared to the microbiota in the control mice (CK), the levels of Bacteroidetes decreased and the levels of Firmicutes increased during CAC development. ISL reversed the imbalance at the phylum level and altered the familial constituents of the gut microbiota. Specifically, the abundance of Helicobacteraceae increased after treatment with high-dose ISL, while the abundance of Lachnospiraceae and Rikenellaceae decreased. At the genus level, ISL reduced the abundance of opportunistic pathogens (Escherichia and Enterococcus), and increased the levels of probiotics, particularly butyrate-producing bacteria (Butyricicoccus, Clostridium, and Ruminococcus). Thus, ISL protects mice from AOM/DSS-induced CAC, and ISL and the gut microbiota may have synergistic anti-cancer effects.
authors.affiliation: College of Basic Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, China.|Henan Collaborative Innovation Center of Molecular Diagnosis and Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, China.
authors.forename: Minna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: College of Basic Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, China.
authors.forename: Yaqi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: College of Basic Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, China.
authors.forename: Baoguo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, China.
authors.forename: Jinsong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Basic Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, China.
authors.forename: Haiying
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: College of Basic Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, China.
authors.forename: Xinlai
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cancer Biotherapy, Institute of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, China.|Henan Collaborative Innovation Center of Molecular Diagnosis and Laboratory Medicine, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan, China.
authors.forename: Genshen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D041963:Bacteroidetes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D047188:Chalcones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003092:Colitis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000068536:Bacillota / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome / Q000187:drug effects*; D006035:Glycyrrhiza; D000073569:Helicobacteraceae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D019936:Probiotics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D047188:Chalcones; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; C040920:isoliquiritigenin
keywords: AOM/DSS; colitis-associated colorectal cancer; gut; isoliquiritigenin; microbiota