What question did this study set out to answer?

The research aims to characterize the effects of Odontosoria biflora hexane extract on the gut bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila, focusing on in vitro and in vivo responses.

February 27, 2026Acta Biochimica Polonica0 citationsOpen Access

Differential in vitro and in vivo responses of Akkermansia muciniphila to Odontosoria biflora (Kaulf.) C.Chr. Lindsaeaceae hexane extract in diet- and alloxan-induced BALB/c mice

MDMarvie Hamel DarbandiBohol Island State University LDLeslie Michelle M. DalmacioUniversity of the Philippines Manila

Key Points

The research aims to characterize the effects of Odontosoria biflora hexane extract on the gut bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila, focusing on in vitro and in vivo responses.
Conducted growth stimulation assays of A. muciniphila in modified BHI media under anaerobic conditions.
Sequentially extracted O. biflora with hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol, and aqueous solvents to identify active fractions.
Evaluated acute oral tolerability of the most active hexane fraction (OBE-HEX) in BALB/c mice.
Monitored fecal A. muciniphila levels using qPCR over 4 weeks in diabetic mice after OBE-HEX administration.
OBE-HEX showed significant in vitro growth stimulation of A. muciniphila (56.43% at 250 mg/L, 85.62% at 500 mg/L).
No observable toxicity was noted in vivo from OBE-HEX administration.
Transient increases in fecal A. muciniphila was observed in treated mice, but no sustained elevation under diabetic conditions was found.
Metformin treatment produced sustained enrichment in fecal A. muciniphila.

Abstract

Akkermansia muciniphila is a mucin-degrading gut bacterium linked to metabolic health, yet culture-based growth stimulation may not translate to sustained enrichment in vivo . Odontosoria biflora (“tubho”) is traditionally consumed in the Philippines as a herbal tea, but its extract-level activity toward A. muciniphila remains poorly characterized. O. biflora was sequentially extracted (hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol, aqueous) and screened for growth-supporting activity toward A. muciniphila in modified BHI under anaerobic conditions. The most active fraction (hexane; OBE HEX) was evaluated for acute oral tolerability in BALB/c mice according to OECD Tesy No. 423 (up to 2000 mg/kg) and subsequently assessed in a high-fat/high-sugar diet plus alloxan-induced diabetic model. Fecal A. muciniphila- specific qPCR signal was monitored at weeks 0, 1, 2, and 4 using a modified 2 − ΔΔCt approach with external ATCC genomic DNA as a reference. OBE-HEX produced the strongest in vitro growth-supporting effect (56.43% at 250 mg/L, p 0.05; 85.62% at 500 mg/L, p 0.001) and showed no observable toxicity in vivo . In contrast, in vivo analysis revealed only transient changes in fecal A. muciniphila detection following OBE-HEX administration, whereas sustained elevation was observed only in metformin-treated mice. Untargeted UPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS analysis of OBE-HEX yielded putative identification of 2-O-rhamnosylvitexin and 7-methoxy-9,10-dihydrophenanthrene-2,5-diol. Overall, these findings demonstrate that while O. biflora hexane extract exhibits direct growth-supporting activity toward A. muciniphila in vitro and is orally tolerable, such effects do not translate into sustained in vivo enrichment under diabetic conditions, underscoring the limitations of extrapolating culture-based microbiota screening results to host-associated systems.

Demander à l'IA

Bookmark

View Full Paper