The Potential Mechanism of the Anti-Liver Fibrotic Effect of Curcumin in the Gut-Liver Axis

This study aimed to explore the curative effect of curcumin on liver fibrosis and its correlation with the gut-liver axis in animal models. Histological staining was utilized to conduct histological analysis of the liver and intestine. An automatic biochemical analyzer or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay system was utilized for analyzing the biochemical indexes in mice. Western blotting was employed to examine the level of relevant proteins. Furthermore, 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing was performed to explore the impact of curcumin on intestinal microorganisms in rats with liver fibrosis. Ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry was utilized to analyze the effect of curcumin on rat feces metabolites. Our results showed that curcumin reduced the formation of collagen fibers caused by carbon tetrachloride in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, curcumin was able to restore intestinal permeability in rats with liver fibrosis. By adopting