Objective To study the protective effect of baicalin on mice infected by porcine extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) PCN033 strain and explore the underlying mechanism. Methods The mouse infection model and Western blotting were employed to determine the clinical features, survival rate, bacterial loads in different tissue samples, pathological changes, and expression levels of P65, IκBα, NLRP3, ASC, and Caspase-1 of mice in the infection group and the baicalin treatment group. Results After baicalin treatment, the mental state of mice in the baicalin treatment group was obviously better than that in the infection group. The survival rate of mice in the baicalin treatment group was higher than that in the infection group, and the colonization ability of PCN033 in the blood, brain, and lung of mice in the baicalin treatment group was lower than that in the infection group. Further studies showed that baicalin inhibited the PCN033 infection-induced activation of phosphorylation of P65 and IκBα and down-regulated the expression levels of NLRP3, ASC, and Caspase-1 in mice. Conclusion Baicalin alleviated the inflammatory response caused by porcine ExPEC infection by inhibiting NF-κB signaling pathway and blocking the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome, thereby reducing the clinical symptoms and tissue damage in mice. It is suggested that baicalin may be a potential drug to prevent and treat porcine ExPEC infection by regulating the inflammatory response.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |