Aqueous extract of Ninghai Bai loquat leaf mitigates LPS-induced acute pneumonia in mice via anti-inflammatory and gut microbiota modulation

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20250483

Acta Agriculturae Zhejiangensis ›› 2026, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (8): 1551-1562.DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20250483

• Animal Science • Previous Articles Next Articles

Aqueous extract of Ninghai Bai loquat leaf mitigates LPS-induced acute pneumonia in mice via anti-inflammatory and gut microbiota modulation

CHEN Qinnan¹^,²(), TAO Wenyang², ZHOU Wanyi², WANG Mengzhu², XING Jianrong², WANG Jiancheng³, YANG Ying²^,^*(), DENG Shanggui¹^,^*()

¹ College of Food and Medicine, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316022, Zhejiang, China
² Institute of Food Science, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
³ Haitong Food (Ninghai) Co., Ltd., Ningbo 315601, Zhejiang, China

Received:2025-07-14 Online:2026-08-25 Published:2026-09-14

Abstract

Abstract:

To investigate the protective effects and mechanisms of the aqueous extract of Ninghai Bai loquat leaves against acute pneumonia, a mouse model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute pneumonia was established. Cell viability assays, lung histopathological observation, wet-to-dry weight ratio (W/D) measurement, assessment of oxidative stress and inflammatory cytokine levels, and 16S rRNA sequencing-based gut microbiota analysis were performed. The results showed that the loquat leaf aqueous extract alleviated LPS-induced lung epithelial cell injury in a dose-dependent manner. Pretreatment with the extract (200, 400 mg·kg^-1) had no significant effect on organ coefficients in LPS-induced mice, but significantly (p<0.01) decreased the lung W/D and ameliorated pathological damage such as alveolar wall thickening and inflammatory cell infiltration. No significant changes were observed in malondialdehyde (MDA) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in lung tissue, whereas myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α were reduced, and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity was increased. Gut microbiota analysis revealed that the loquat leaf aqueous extract ameliorated LPS-induced microbial dysbiosis by increasing the relative abundance of the phylum Bacillota, decreasing that of Bacteroidota, and augmenting the relative abundances of beneficial genera such as Allobaculum, Ileibacterium and Adlercreutzia. In conclusion, the aqueous extract of Ninghai Bai loquat leaves exerts a protective effect against LPS-induced acute pneumonia in mice, which may be associated with the inhibition of oxidative stress and inflammatory responses and the regulation of gut microbiota homeostasis.

Key words: acute pneumonia, Eriobotrya japonica leaf, aqueous extract, lipopolysaccharide, gut microbiota

CLC Number:

TS218

CHEN Qinnan, TAO Wenyang, ZHOU Wanyi, WANG Mengzhu, XING Jianrong, WANG Jiancheng, YANG Ying, DENG Shanggui. Aqueous extract of Ninghai Bai loquat leaf mitigates LPS-induced acute pneumonia in mice via anti-inflammatory and gut microbiota modulation[J]. Acta Agriculturae Zhejiangensis, 2026, 38(8): 1551-1562.

Figures/Tables 6

Fig.1 Protective effects of loquat leaf aqueous extract on LPS-induced injury in A549 cells A, A549 cells were incubated with LPS at different mass concentrations for 24 h; B, A549 cells were incubated with aqueous extract of loquat leaf at different mass concentrations for 24 h; C, A549 cells were incubated with loquat leaf aqueous extract and/or LPS at different mass concentrations for 24 h and the cell viability was measured using the CCK-8 assay. In panel A, * and ** indicate significant differences at the p<0.05 and p<0.01 levels, respectively, compared with the 0 μg·mL-1 treatment. In panel C, #### indicates significant differences at the p<0.000 1 level compared with the blank control(NC) group; * and ** indicate significant differences at the p<0.05 and p<0.01 levels, respectively, compared with the model (LPS) group.

Fig.2 Effects of loquat leaf aqueous extract on body weight, organ coefficient and lung wet-to-dry weight ratio in mice with acute pneumonia # and ## indicate p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively, compared with the blank control (NC) group; *, ** and **** indicate p<0.05, p<0.01 and p<0.000 1, respectively, compared with the model (LPS) group.

Fig.3 Histopathological assessment of pulmonary lesions by HE staining across experimental groups A, Healthy control (NC) group; B, LPS-induced pneumonia model group; C, 5 mg·kg-1 dexamethasone treatment group; D, 200 mg·kg-1 aqueous extract of loquat leaf treatment group; E, 400 mg·kg-1 aqueous extract of loquat leaf treatment group. Key morphological indicators: ▲, Bronchiolar epithelium; Blue, Inflammatory cell infiltration (predominantly neutrophils); Green, Alveolar space dilation with septal fusion; Black, Hyaline membrane formation and interstitial thickening. Scale bar: 50 μm (20× objective magnification).

Fig.4 Protective effects of loquat leaf aqueous extract on LPS-induced acute pneumonia in mice #, ##, ### and #### indicate p<0.05, p<0.01, p< 0.001 and p<0.000 1, respectively, compared with the blank(NC) group; *, **, *** and **** indicate p<0.05, p<0.01, p<0.001, and p<0.000 1, respectively, compared with the model(LPS) group.

Fig.5 Effects of loquat leaf aqueous extract on the gut microbiota in mice with LPS-induced acute pneumonia (phylum level) A, Venn diagram (97% similarity cut-off); B, β-diversity analysis by PCoA (Bray-Curtis distance); C, Microbial dysbiosis index (MDI, converted by common logarithm); D, Phylum-level taxonomic composition; E, Relative abundance of Bacillota; F, Relative abundance of Bacteroidota; G, Relative abundance of Verrucomicrobiota; H, Relative abundance of Actinomycetota. ##, p<0.01 compared with the NC group. Figure B was analyzed using PERMANOVA; Figures C to H were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test.

Fig.6 Effects of loquat leaf aqueous extract on the gut microbiota in mice with LPS-induced acute pneumonia(genus level) A, Genus composition; B, Relative abundance of Allobaculum; C, Relative abundance of Ileibacterium; D, Relative abundance of Adlercreutzia; E, Univariate correlation network diagram.

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Aqueous extract of Ninghai Bai loquat leaf mitigates LPS-induced acute pneumonia in mice via anti-inflammatory and gut microbiota modulation

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