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. 2024 Jan 10;13(2):225.
doi: 10.3390/foods13020225.

Wheat Bran Polyphenols Ameliorate DSS-Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Mice by Suppressing MAPK/NF-κB Inflammasome Pathways and Regulating Intestinal Microbiota

Xusheng Wen  1 , Han Peng  2 , Hua Zhang  3 , Yangzheng He  1 , Fanghua Guo  1 , Xin Bi  1 , Jiahua Liu  1 , Yong Sun  1
Affiliations

Wheat Bran Polyphenols Ameliorate DSS-Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Mice by Suppressing MAPK/NF-κB Inflammasome Pathways and Regulating Intestinal Microbiota

Xusheng Wen et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Wheat bran (WB) is the primary by-product of wheat processing and contains a high concentration of bioactive substances such as polyphenols. This study analyzed the qualitative and quantitative components of polyphenols in wheat bran and their effects on ulcerative colitis (UC) using the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis model in mice. The potential mechanism of wheat bran polyphenols (WBP) was also examined. Our findings indicate that the main polyphenol constituents of WBP were phenolic acids, including vanillic acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, gallic acid, and protocatechuic acid. Furthermore, WBP exerted remarkable protective effects against experimental colitis. This was achieved by reducing the severity of colitis and improving colon morphology. Additionally, WBP suppressed colonic inflammation via upregulation of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and downregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β) in colon tissues. Mechanistically, WBP ameliorated DSS-induced colitis in mice by inhibiting activation of the MAPK/NF-κB pathway. In addition, microbiome analysis results suggested that WBP modulated the alteration of gut microbiota caused by DSS, with an enhancement in the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes and adjustments in the number of Helicobacter, Escherichia-Shigella, Akkermansia, Lactobacillus, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group at the genus level. To conclude, the findings showed that WBP has excellent prospects in reducing colonic inflammation in UC mice.

Keywords: gut microbiota; inflammation; intestinal barrier function; ulcerative colitis; wheat bran polyphenols.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The process diagram of animal experiment.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The HPLC chromatogram of WBP and mixed standards using VWD detection at 320 nm. (A) The HPLC profile of WBP; (B) the HPLC profile of mixed standards: (1) gallic acid, (2) protocatechuic acid, (3) caffeic acid, (4) vanillic acid, (5) p-coumaric acid, (6) ferulic acid.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Anti-inflammatory activity of WBP in vivo. (A) daily weight change; (B) the change of BW in different groups (Day 15/Day 8); (C) DAI score results; (D) photos of mouse colon in different groups; (E) the results of colon length; (F) the H&E-stained histopathological sections of colonic tissues. Data are presented as mean ± SEM (n = 8). Significant differences are indicated by different letters (p < 0.05).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Levels of colonic inflammatory indicators and the expression of TJ proteins. (A–D) The inflammatory cytokine expression level of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β and IL-10 in the colons; (E–G) the mRNA expression level of TJ protein ZO-1, Occludin, and Claudin-1; (H) fluorescence image of ZO-1 at 200× magnification (scale bars = 100 μm), with the target protein expressed as red fluorescence; (I) fluorescence quantitative results of ZO-1 protein. Significant differences between groups are indicated by different letters in each column (p < 0.05).
Figure 5
Figure 5
The mRNA expression level of inflammatory pathway-related proteins. (A,B) The mRNA expression levels of NF-κB-related pathway proteins IκB-α and p65; (C–E) the mRNA expression levels of MAPK-related pathway proteins JNK, ERK, and p38. Data are presented as mean ± SEM (n = 6). Significant differences between groups are indicated by different letters in each column (p < 0.05).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Analysis for SCFAs in feces. (A) The content of acetic acid in feces; (B) the content of propionic acid in feces; (C) the content of butyric acid in feces; (D) the content of valeric acid in feces. Data are presented as mean ± SEM (n = 6). Significant differences are indicated by different letters (p < 0.05).
Figure 7
Figure 7
The impact of WBP on the modulation of intestinal flora composition in colitis mice induced by DSS. (A,B) The Sobs and Shannon indices; (C) Venn diagram of common and unique OTUs among different groups; (D) PCoA analysis of intestinal microbiota in different groups; (E) top ten microbial genera in terms of abundance at the phylum level; (F) the abundance of differential microbiota at the phylum level in three groups; (G) the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidota in different groups. Data are presented as mean ± SEM (n = 5). * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001 and **** p < 0.0001.
Figure 8
Figure 8
The impact of WBP supplementation on the abundance of gut microbiota at the genus level. (A) Genus level distribution histogram of the gut microbiota, (B–D) distribution pie chart of genus levels in CON, MOD, and HWB groups; (E) score for abundances of different taxa using linear discriminant analysis (LDA); (F) Spearman’s correlation analysis between gut microbiota at the genus level and various indices. The correlation between variables is indicated by the color red for positive and blue for negative, * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01 and *** p < 0.001.
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