Evaluation of the therapeutic effect of Berberine microcapsules on Salmonella enteritidis-infected mice.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Berberine (BBR) is an alkaloid derived from traditional Chinese herbal remedies, like Huanglian and Huangbai. It possesses a range of anti-inflammatory properties but is known to cause significant irritation upon injection and has a poor taste when consumed orally, with limited absorption into the body. Berberine microcapsules (BBR-M) were developed using solid dispersion (SD) and microcapsule technology for a Salmonella enteritidis-infected mouse enteritis model experiment to test their efficacy in regulating Salmonella enteritidis by analyzing RT- qPCR testing results, alongside 16 S rDNA sequencing data and immunohistochemistry analysis to determine the dosage and mechanism of action of BBR-M. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that BBR-M exhibited good intestinal sustained-release characteristics and storage stability. Each dose of BBR-M could alleviate intestinal injury, modulating immunoglobulin profiles and differentially regulating pro-inflammatory (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokine expression; particularly at the 40 mg/kg dosage, it significantly restored microbial homeostasis through selective reduction of enteropathogens (Escherichia coli, Shigella, Klebsiella, Salmonella) and enrichment of commensal probiotics (Akkermansia muciniphila). CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these findings position the medium-dose BBR-M regimen as a promising therapeutic candidate for Salmonella enteritidis enteritis intervention, demonstrating optimal efficacy in pathogen clearance, inflammatory modulation, and intestinal barrier restoration.