PRM1201 effectively inhibits colorectal cancer metastasis via shaping gut microbiota and short- chain fatty acids

PRM1201 is a traditional medicine with beneficial effects against colorectal cancer (CRC) metastasis. However, the underlying mechanism of this action remains to be determined. Remodeling microbiota and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) metabolism might be a potential mechanism to explain the anti-metastatic action of PRM1201, as this gut-microbiota dependent effect involves downregulation of histone deacetylation and EMT. To investigate this possibility, clinical specimens were sequenced and the correlation between the anti-metastatic efficacy of PRM1201 and the restoration of SCFA-producing bacteria was studied. To obtain solid causal evidence, a mouse metastasis model was established to detect the influence of PRM1201 on cancer metastasis. Specifically, 16S amplicon sequencing, ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) analysis, and bacterial manipulation were used to examine the gut microbiota-driven anti-metastatic action of PRM1201. Clinical data showed that PRM1201 increased both the number of SCFA-producing bacteria and generation of SCFAs in the feces of CRC patients. A positive correlation between the anti-metastatic efficacy of PRM1201 and the restoration of SCFAs observed. The animal experiments demonstrated that PRM1201 effectively blocked CRC metastasis in a dose-dependent manner. PRM1201 treatment modulated the composition of gut microbiota, and promoted the proliferation of beneficial SCFAs producers such as Akkermansia, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group and Blautia, while simultaneously reducing the abundance of pathogenic bacteria like Escherichia-Shigella. In addition, PRM1201 led to augmentation of SCFAs content. Further results indicated that the anti-cancer metastatic mechanism of PRM1201 was linked to inhibition of histone deacetylation and suppression of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in metastatic lesions. Microbiota depletion treatment and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) underscored the microbiota-dependent nature of this phenomenon. Moreover, this anti-colorectal cancer metastatic effect and mechanism of total SCFAs and single SCFA were also confirmed. In summary, PRM1201 exerts its anti-metastatic effects by modulating SCFA-producing bacteria and enhancing the production of SCFAs. Furthermore, the prebiotic-like actions of PRM1201, along with the PRM1201-treated bacteria, function as inhibitors of histone deacetylases (DHACs) thereby effectively suppressing EMT events.