Key result
Barley leaf insoluble fiber and SCFAs lower uric acid and alleviate renal injury in mice.
Why the study?
Hyperuricemia is an important risk factor for hyperuricemic nephropathy, which is strongly linked to gut microbiota, prompting investigation into protective effects of insoluble fiber from barley leaves.
Insoluble fiber from barley leaves and its metabolite SCFAs attenuate hyperuricemic nephropathy in mice by modulating gut microbiota and downregulating urate transporters.
Hypothesis-generating for dietary fiber in hyperuricemic nephropathy; leaves open translation from murine models to human trials.
Hyperuricemia (HUA), characterized by abnormal serum uric acid (UA) levels, is recognized as an important risk factor for hyperuricemic nephropathy (HN), which is strongly linked to gut microbiota. This study investigated the protective effects and regulatory mechanisms of insoluble fiber from barley leaves (BL) against HN, induced by adenine (Ad) and potassium oxonate (PO). The results showed that BL dramatically reduced the levels of serum UA and creatinine (CR) and alleviated renal injury and fibrosis. Moreover, BL modulated oxidative stress and downregulated the expression of urate transporter 1 (URAT1) and glucose transporter 9 (GLUT9) in the kidneys of mice with HN. In addition, the 16S rRNA sequence data showed that BL also increased the relative abundance of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-producing bacteria, including Bacteroides, Alloprevotella, and Eisenbergiella. Besides, BL treatment also increased SCFAs levels. Of interest, the application of SCFAs in hyperuricemic mice effectively reduced their serum UA. Furthermore, SCFAs dose-dependently inhibited URAT1 and GLUT9 in vitro and potently interacted with URAT1 and GLUT9 in the docking analysis. When taken together, our results indicate that BL and its metabolite SCFAs may be potential candidates for relieving HUA or HN.
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Li et al. (2022) studied Hyperuricemic nephropathy (n=60). Insoluble fiber from barley leaves (BL) vs. Standard chow diet / Vehicle was evaluated on Serum uric acid and creatinine levels, and renal injury. Insoluble fiber from barley leaves and its metabolite short-chain fatty acids significantly reduced serum uric acid and creatinine levels, and alleviated renal injury and fibrosis in mice.
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