Zhishi Daozhi decoction alleviates constipation induced by a high-fat and high-protein diet via regulating intestinal mucosal microbiota and oxidative stressOriginal paper
Karen Pendergrass is a microbiome researcher specializing in microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs). She systematically analyzes scientific literature to identify microbial patterns, develop hypotheses, and validate interventions. As the founder of the Microbiome Signatures Database, she bridges microbiome research with clinical practice. In 2012, based on her own investigative research, she became the first documented case of FMT for Celiac Disease, four years before the first published case study.
Read MoreWhat was studied?
This study examined whether Zhishi Daozhi decoction (ZDD), a traditional formula, could relieve constipation caused by a high-fat and high-protein diet (HFHPD). The researchers looked at how ZDD affected the intestinal mucosal microbiota, oxidative stress markers, and gut-regulatory peptides in a diet-and-drug-induced constipation model. Mice were given loperamide hydrochloride alongside HFHPD to establish the constipation model before ZDD intervention.
Who was studied?
The subjects were mice divided into five groups: a normal control (MN) group, a natural recovery (MR) group, and three ZDD-treated groups receiving low (MLD), medium (MMD), or high (MHD) doses. Constipation was induced in the relevant groups using a high-fat and high-protein diet combined with loperamide hydrochloride. This was an animal model study rather than a human cohort.
What were the most important findings?
After ZDD treatment, serum cholecystokinin (CCK) content in the MR group decreased and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) content increased, though these changes were not significant. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) content, an antioxidant marker measured in the liver, was also affected by the intervention. The study used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of intestinal mucosal DNA to track changes in the mucosal microbiota alongside these biochemical shifts, though the abstract text describing the full microbiota and malondialdehyde (MDA) results was cut off.
What are the greatest implications of this study?
The findings suggest ZDD may help correct constipation driven by high-fat, high-protein diets by acting on the intestinal mucosal microbiota and oxidative stress pathways, alongside gut peptides like CCK and CGRP. This points to a potential dietary-pattern-linked mechanism of constipation that could be addressed through microbiota-targeted or antioxidant-supporting interventions. Because this is a mouse model, further research is needed before these results can inform human clinical approaches to diet-related constipation.