# Ginsenosides and gut microbiota: differential effects on healthy individuals and irritable bowel syndrome subtypes

## TL;DR

This study explores how ginsenosides affect gut microbiota in healthy people and those with IBS subtypes, finding distinct microbial changes.

## Contribution

The study reveals differential effects of ginsenosides on gut microbiota in IBS subtypes and healthy individuals.

## Key findings

- Ginsenosides treatment showed no significant changes in α- or β-diversity of gut microbiota.
- Specific taxa like Stenotrophomonas and Pseudomonas were significantly enriched in healthy and IBS-D groups after treatment.
- The results suggest ginsenosides may modulate gut microbiota with subtype-specific effects in IBS.

## Abstract

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal disorder with poorly understood mechanisms. Variations in gut microbiota composition are observed in different IBS subtypes. Ginsenosides have shown potential in alleviating IBS symptoms, but their interactions with gut microbiota in different IBS subtypes are not well studied.

In this study, we investigated the effects of ginsenosides on the gut microbiota of both healthy participants and participants suffering from IBS characterized by diarrhea (IBS-D) or constipation (IBS-C), using in vitro fermentation alongside 16S rRNA sequencing and bioinformatics analyses.

The analysis demonstrated that there were no statistically significant alterations in α- or β-diversity between the ginsenosides-treated and control groups across all models. However, the microbial composition assessment revealed the presence of 51 shared genera, with notable variations in composition and a significant enrichment of specific taxa. Specifically, the LEfSe analysis revealed that, following ginsenosides treatment, the healthy model groups exhibited significant enrichment of Stenotrophomonas and Achromobacter, while the IBS-D model groups demonstrated significant enrichment of Pseudomonas and Stenotrophomonas.

The results elucidate the distinctive microbial signatures associated with ginsenosides treatment across both healthy and IBS-D groups, underscoring the potential therapeutic efficacy of ginsenosides in modulating gut microbiota. This study highlights the necessity for further investigation into targeted microbiome therapies for IBS, which may facilitate the development of more personalized and efficacious treatment strategies for gastrointestinal health.