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Amino acid-balanced diets improved DSS-induced colitis by alleviating inflammation and regulating gut microbiota

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Abstract

Purpose

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a multifactorial chronic disease of the gastrointestinal tract. Dietary intervention in the treatment of IBD has gradually attracted more attention. In this study, amino acid-balanced diets (AABD) based on grains were developed and their influences on the regulation of IBD were investigated.

Methods

Dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced acute colitis mice model was employed to evaluate the effects of AABD. Pathological symptoms, intestinal inflammation, gut barrier proteins and gut microbiota were determined after AABD intake.

Results

It was shown that AABD alleviated the symptoms of colitis by reducing the histological scores of mice colon, suppressing the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) and upregulating the expression of tight junction proteins. Analysis of gut microbiota revealed that AABD altered the structure of gut microbiota by decreasing the abundance and richness of harmful bacteria induced by DSS (Escherichia-Shigella, Parasutterella, etc.) and increasing that of beneficial bacteria (Akkermansia, etc.). Correlation analysis indicated that the alterations of pro-inflammatory factors were related with the change of microbiota, suggesting that the inhibitory effects of AABD on inflammation might be due to its regulation gut microbiota.

Conclusion

The AABD could efficiently mitigate colitis, and this study indicated that AABD could be applied as a promising dietary regulation strategy of IBD.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [No. 31901609] and the Capacity-building project of local universities of SSTC [20060502100].

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Author notes

  1. Sen Li and Shuya Yang are co-first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Health Science and Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, 516, Jungong Road, Shanghai, 200093, China

    Sen Li, Shuya Yang, Yu Zhang, Kai Huang, Ting Liang, Yu Chen, Yingjie Guan, Ruizhi Shang, Tong Guan & Xiao Guan

  2. Department of Gastroenterology, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 1665 Kongjiang Road, Shanghai, 200092, China

    Jiang Wu & Yingwei Chen

  3. National Grain Industry (Urban Grain and Oil Security) Technology Innovation Center, Shanghai, 200093, China

    Sen Li, Shuya Yang, Yu Zhang, Kai Huang, Ting Liang, Yu Chen, Yingjie Guan, Ruizhi Shang, Tong Guan & Xiao Guan

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  1. Sen Li
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  2. Shuya Yang
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  3. Yu Zhang
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Correspondence to Yingwei Chen or Xiao Guan.

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Li, S., Yang, S., Zhang, Y. et al. Amino acid-balanced diets improved DSS-induced colitis by alleviating inflammation and regulating gut microbiota. Eur J Nutr 61, 3531–3543 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-022-02906-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-022-02906-y

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