TABLE 1.
Summary of the effects of herbal medicine on gut microbiota and laboratory indexes.
| Botanical drugss/Herbal pairs/Formulas | Subjects | Effects on gut microbiota | Primary outcomes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rheum palmatum L | 5/6 nephrectomy rats | Decreased Akkermansia, Methanosphaera, and Clostridiaceae | Decreased Scr, IL-1b and IL-6 levels | Ji et al. (2020) |
| Increased bacteroidetes, bacteroidales, bacteroidia, prevotella et al | Decreased serum TMAO, TMA, IL-6, TNF-ɑ, IFN-y levels; reduced urine output | Ji et al. (2021) | ||
| Increased akkermansia-muciniphila, lactobacillus-aci-dophilus, bacteroides-caccae, and faecalibaculum-rodentium | Reduced Scr, inflammation levels, improved kidney pathology | Ji et al. (2022) | ||
| Poria cocos | 5/6 nephrectomy rats | Ameliorated microbial dysbiosis | Improved Ccr, lowered blood pressure, Scr, urea concentrations, and proteinuria | Feng et al. (2019) |
| Morus alba L | Streptozotocin and high-fat diet-induced DN rats | Increased Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Clostridia | Reduced FBG and urine glucose levels; enhanced insulin sensitivity; alleviated proteinuria and chronic renal damages | Yao et al. (2018) |
| Rehmannia glutinosa (Gaertn.) DC. and Cornus officinalis Siebold and Zucc | Adenine-induced CKD rats | Increased Ruminococcaceae UCG-014, Ruminococcus 1, Pre-votellaceae_NK3B31_group, Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 group and Lachnospiraceae UCG-001; decreased Desulfovibrio | Decreased 24 h urine protein; improved inflammation and hyperplasia of fibrous | Zhang et al. (2021) |
| Astragalus mongholicus Bunge and Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge | Cyclosporin A-induced chronic nephrotoxicity mice | Modified the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes, increased abundance of Lactobacillus and Akkermansia | Decreased IL-6, Scr, BUN, and UA; improved the pathology of kidney and colon | Han et al. (2021) |
| Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and Styphnolobium japonicum (L.) Schott | Hypertensive Nephropathy rats | Decreased Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and Clostridiaceae, increased Lactobacillus | Decreased the blood pressure; ameliorated renal structure damage; decreased the levels of Cr, BUN, and mALB | Guan et al. (2021) |
| Shenyan Kangfu tablet | db/db mice | Decreased Bacteroidetes, increased Firmicutes | Reduced stimulated blood glucose and HbA1c levels, alleviated renal dysfunction, glomerular and tubular damage, and renal inflammation (TNF-α and IL-1β) | Chen et al. (2021) |
| Tangshen formula | Streptozotocin injection and uninephrectomy-induced DN rats | Increased the abundance of bifidobacteria, reversed the increased Bacteroidetes-to-Actinobacteria ratio | Reduced levels of indoxyl sulfate and metabolic endotoxemia/Lipopolysaccharide; decreased MCP-1 and TNF-α | Zhao et al. (2020) |
| QiDiTangShen granules | db/db mice | Decreased Lactobacillus, Bacteroides, and Lachnospir-aceae_NK4A136_group, increased Alloprevotella | Reduced urinary albumin excretion and attenuated the pathological injuries of the kidney; decreased serum levels of total bile acid and bile acid profiles | Wei et al. (2021) |
| Shenqi Yanshen Formula | Adenine-induced mice | Increased f_Succinivibrionaceae and o_Aeromonadales | Decreased Scr and BUN levels; reduced the degree of renal fibrosis; reduced TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 expression | Zhang et al. (2022) |
| Qing-Re-Xiao-Zheng Formula | Streptozotocin and high-fat diet-induced DN mice | Increased Rikenellaceae and Akkermansia | Decreased urinary albumin, serum cholesterol, and triglycerides levels; attenuated renal injuries; suppressed TLR4 and NF-κB expression | Gao et al. (2021) |
| Jianpi Yishen decoction | 5/6 nephrectomy rats | Increased butyrate-producing bacteria such as Phascolarctobacterium, Coprococcus, decreased Clostridium_XIVb | Decreased the levels of BUN, U-ALB, and TNF-a, improved kidney function | Zheng et al. (2020) |
| Sanhuang Yishen capsule | Streptozotocin and high-fat diet-induced DN rats | Increased Lactobacillus, Ruminococcaceae UCG-005, Allobaculum, Anaerovibrio, Bacteroides and Candidatus_Saccharimonas | High-dose SHYS reduced the serum levels of Cr, BUN, and 24-h urine protein; The middle-dose SHYS reduced 24-h urine protein and serum BUN levels; reduced oxidative stress, and inflammatory response | Su et al. (2022) |
Abbreviations: Cr, creatinine; Scr, Serum creatinine; Ccr, creatinine clearance; BUN, blood Urea Nitrogen; UA, uric acid; mALB, microalbumin; U-ALB, U-mAlb, urine microalbumin; ACR, Urine albumin/creatinine.