Rubidium chloride modulated the intestinal microbiota community in mice
Abstract Background The intestinal microbiota plays an important role in host health. Although rubidium (Rb) has been used to study for depression and cancers, the interaction between intestinal microbial commensals and Rb is still unexplored. To gain the knowledge of the relationship between Rb and intestinal microbes, 51 mice receiving RbCl-based treatment and 13 untreated mice were evaluated of their characteristics and bacterial microbiome changes. Results The 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing of feces showed RbCl generally maintained the microbial community diversity, while the shifts in gut microbial composition were apparent after RbCl exposure for the first time. RbCl significantly enhanced the abundances of Rikenellaceae, Alistipes, Clostridium XlVa and sulfate-reducing bacteria including Deltaproteobacteria, Desulfovibrionales, Desulfovibrionaceae and Desulfovibrio. While, RbCl significantly inhibited the abundances of Tenericutes, Mollicutes, Anaeroplasmatales, Anaeroplasmataceae and Anaeroplasma lineages. Besides, with regarding to the composition of archaea, RbCl significantly enhanced the abundances of Crenarchaeota, Thermoprotei, Sulfolobales, Sulfolobaceae and Sulfolobus lineages. Conclusions These results revealed that enrichments of Clostridium XlVa, Alistipes and sulfate-reducing bacteria could act on brain-gut-microbiota axis by affecting serotonergic system and immune system. Therefore, it was likely that RbCl would have beneficial anti-effects on depression and cancers by modifying brain-gut-microbiota axis.