ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems
This article is part of the Research TopicImpact of Diet on Gut Microbiome Regulation in Chronic Inflammation and Aging ProcessesView all articles
Salt Sensitivity Potentiates High-Salt Diet-Induced Intestinal Barrier Disruption and Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis in Rats
Provisionally accepted
- Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
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The high-salt diet is a prevalent eating habit associated with health risks. This study investigated the impact of high salt on intestinal barrier disruption and gut microbiome dysbiosis using Wistar and Dahl salt-sensitive rat models. Rats were fed a normal diet or a high-salt diet for eight weeks. Body weight and plasma inflammatory cytokines were monitored in the study. Colon tissue damage was assessed via histopathological examination, and metagenomic sequencing was utilized to analyze alterations in microbial composition, functional pathways, and biodiversity. The results indicated that high salt significantly elevated pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and induced structural damage in the colon. Metagenomic analysis revealed that high salt concentrations resulted in approximately a 15% difference in microbial species composition. And led to a decrease in Alpha diversity, along with an increase in the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio. Taxon-specific alterations included reduced abundance of Lactobacillus and Clostridium, and increased abundance of Enterobacter and Bifidobacterium. Correlation analyses further revealed a positive correlation between Bifidobacterium abundance and tumor necrosis factor-α level in Dahl salt-sensitive rats. This study illuminates the gut microbiota's role in salt-sensitivity and provides a foundational basis for developing microbiota-targeted interventions for at-risk individuals.
Keywords: High salt diet, Salt sensitivity, Gut Microbiota, Metagenomics, Intestinal barrier disruption
Received: 06 Oct 2025; Accepted: 17 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zeng, Peng, Xiao, Nie, Zhang and Xia. 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: Lina Xia, xialina@cdutcm.edu.cn
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