The objective of this study was to examine the anti-
colitis activity of Jakyakgamcho-tang (JGT) in
dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced
colitis and explore changes of the gut microbial community using
16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and metabolomics approaches. It was found that treatment with JGT or
5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) alleviated the severity of
colitis symptoms by suppressing inflammatory
cytokine levels of
IL-6,
IL-12, and IFN-γ. The non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis of gut microbiome revealed that JGT groups were clearly separated from the DSS group, suggesting that JGT administration altered gut microbiota. The operational taxonomic units (OTUs) that were decreased by DSS but increased by JGT include Akkermansia and Allobaculum. On the other hand, OTUs that were increased by DSS but decreased by 5-ASA or JGT treatments include Bacteroidales S24-7, Ruminococcaceae, and Rikenellaceae, and the genera Bacteroides, Parabacteroides, Oscillospira, and Coprobacillus. After JGT administration, the metabolites, including most
amino acids and
lactic acid that were altered by
colitis induction, became similar to those of the control group. This study demonstrates that JGT might have potential to effectively treat
colitis by restoring
dysbiosis of gut microbiota and host metabolites.