Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapieJul 11, 2021

GeGen QinLian decoction may ease flu-related pneumonia by changing gut bacteria

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Apr 4, 2026

Abstract

GQD treatment reduced mortality and lung inflammation in influenza-infected mice.

GQD may act through multiple targets and pathways in the treatment of influenza.
Fecal microbiota transplantation from GQD treated mice also reduced mortality and lung inflammation in infected mice.
GQD treatment restored intestinal flora, increasing beneficial bacteria and decreasing harmful bacteria.
FMT-GQD treatment inhibited the NOD/RIP2/NF-κB signaling pathway in the intestine.
FMT-GQD treatment influenced inflammatory cytokine expression in mesenteric lymph nodes and serum.
FMT-GQD treatment showed systemic protection by restraining the inflammatory differentiation of CD4T cells.

Simplified

Influenza in humans is often accompanied by gastroenteritis-like symptoms. GeGen QinLian decoction (GQD), a Chinese herb formula, has been widely used to treat infectious diarrhea for centuries and has the effect of restoring intestinal flora. Studies have also reported that GQD were used to treat patients with influenza. However, whether regulating the intestinal flora is one of the ways GQD treats influenza has not been confirmed. In present research, we conducted a systemic pharmacological study, and the results showed that GQD may acts through multiple targets and pathways. In influenza-infected mice, GQD treatment reduced mortality and lung inflammation. Most importantly, the mortality and lung inflammation were also reduced in influenza-infected mice that have undergone fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from GQD (FMT-GQD) treated mice. GQD treatment or FMT-GQD treatment restores the intestinal flora, resulting in an increase in Akkermansia_muciniphila, Desulfovibrio_C21_c20 and Lactobacillus_salivarius, and a decrease in Escherichia_coli. FMT-GQD treatment inhibited the NOD/RIP2/NF-κB signaling pathway in the intestine and affected the expression of downstream related inflammatory cytokines in mesenteric lymph nodes (mLNs) and serum. In addition, FMT-GQD treatment showed systemic protection by restraining the inflammatory differentiation of CD4T cells. In conclusion, our study shows that GQD can affect systemic immunity, at least in part, through the intestinal flora, thereby protect the mice against influenza virus infectious pneumonia. +

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GeGen QinLian decoction may ease flu-related pneumonia by changing gut bacteria

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