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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.

Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1597695

This article is part of the Research TopicInnovative Therapeutic Strategies Targeting Early-Life Gut Microbiota: Pathways to Long-Term Health BenefitsView all 15 articles

Ozone rectal insufflation inhibits the development of atherosclerosis in ApoE-/-mice, which is mediated by the regulation of gut microbiota and metabolites

Provisionally accepted
Ruihua  LiRuihua LiYulin  WangYulin WangXuelian  JiXuelian JiQi  HanQi HanHe  KangHe KangHaobin  ZhaoHaobin Zhao*Hongbo  LiHongbo Li*
  • Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Introduction: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the world's leading cause of death. Researches have proven that ozone therapy can effectively inhibit the development of atherosclerosis; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to explore how ozone rectal insufflation (O3-RI) prevents atherosclerosis.. Methods: O3-RI therapyinvolves administering medical ozone via rectal injection to prevent multiple diseases. ApoE-/-mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) to induce atherosclerosis. Gut microbiota was identified by 16S rRNA sequencing. Microbial metabolites were determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS). Results: O3-RI reduced serum LDL-C levels by approximately 29.6% and decreased both atherosclerotic lipid areas and plaque area in ApoE-/-mice.. Additionally, O3-RI improved gut microbiota imbalance caused by a high-fat diet in these mice.. Notably, O3-RIincreased beneficial microorganisms like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which help reduce atherosclerosis. Additionally, O3-RI also increased the levels of short-chain fatty acids, such as propionic acid and butyric acid, At the same time, it decreased harmful microbial metabolites, like TMA and TMAO in fecal samples. Discussion: This research indicates suggested that O3-RI effectively inhibits atherosclerosis and reduces serum LDL-C levels. These effects are likely linked to ozone's optimization of gut microbiota and regulation of microbial metabolites in ApoE-/-mice. The non-invasive O3-RI may play a crucial role in managing and treating atherosclerosis.The non-invasive O3-RI may play a crucial role in the managing and treating of atherosclerosis.

Keywords: Atherosclerosis, Ozone rectal insufflation, Gut Microbiota, Gut microbiotaderived metabolites, short-chain fatty acids

Received: 21 Mar 2025; Accepted: 06 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Li, Wang, Ji, Han, Kang, Zhao and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Haobin Zhao, Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, China
Hongbo Li, Weifang People's Hospital, Weifang, China

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