Camellia oil (Camellia oleifera Abel.) alleviates gastric injury induced by ethanol associated with modulation of gut microbiota in mice

Oil from Camellia oleifera Abel. seed is a popular edible oil in Asia, which has gained much attention for its medicinal applications on relieving various inflammation, however, the mechanism is still unknown. The present study was to investigate the gastroprotective effect of camellia oil against ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury in mice. The results showed that camellia oil pretreatment significantly reduced gastric ulcer injury. A remarkable inhibited oxidative stress by reducing the concentration of malondialdehyde and a significant decrease of the levels of pro-inflammatory factors in gastric tissue were observed in camellia oil pretreated group. In addition, camellia oil improved the diversity of gut microbiota and changed the community structure and composition by increasing Bacteriodes and Dorea. And the feces metabolomics found that metabolism of cofactors and vitamins, and lipid, carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism were modulated by admiration of camellia oil. Taken together, the findings of this study suggested that camellia oil could ease the ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury via the improvement of anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory status, as well as the regulation of gut microbiota and its metabolites.