In vitro effects of ginseng and Ziziphi Spinosae Semen on gut microbiota of rats with spleen deficiency.

Ginseng and the seed ofZizyphus jujubavar.spinosa, which are traditional Chinese medicinal materials, were often used in ancient Chinese recipes as a pair of medicines. They can replenish the primordial qi and tonify the spleen. This study investigated the effects of ginseng and the seed ofZizyphus jujubavar.spinosa(GS) extract on gut microbiota diversity in rats with spleen deficiency syndrome (SDS). A total of 52 compounds (including 16 flavonoids, 35 saponins, and 1 alkaloid) were identified and analyzed from theGSextract by UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS. TheGSextract significantly increased the relative abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes in rats withSDSbut decreased that of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. At the genus level, theGSextract significantly increased the relative abundance ofLactobacillusandBifidobacteriumin rats withSDSbut decreased that ofStreptococcus,Escherichia-Shigella,Veillonella, andEnterococcus. In addition, theGSextract influenced glucose and amino acid metabolism. In summary, the results showed that theGSextract changed the structure and diversity of gut microbiota in rats withSDSand balanced the metabolic process.