Drinking alkaline mineral water confers diarrhea resistance in maternally separated piglets by maintaining intestinal epithelial regeneration via the brain-microbe-gut axis

• Published in: Journal of advanced research 2023-10, Vol.52, p.29-43
• Main Authors: Chen, Jian, Zhao, Bi-Chen, Dai, Xue-Yan, Xu, Ya-Ru, Kang, Jian-Xun, Li, Jin-Long
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alkaline mineral water; Brain-microbe-gut axis; Diarrhea; Gut microbiota; Intestinal epithelial regeneration; Original
• ISSN: 2090-1232; 2090-1224
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jare.2022.12.008

The present study found that drinking alkaline mineral water confers diarrhea resistance in maternally separated piglets by maintaining intestinal epithelial regeneration via the brain-microbe-gut axis. The improvement in gut microbiota composition and function maintains intestinal epithelial regeneration by activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling to repair damaged intestinal mucosa and interrupted ISC differentiation. This study provides a potential prevention strategy for young mammals at risk of diarrhea. [Display omitted] •Drinking AMC water confers diarrhea resistance in piglets under weaning stress.•Brain-microbe-gut axis is the target of AMC water for diarrhea therapy.•Drinking AMC water alleviates weaning-induced intestinal injury in MS piglets.•Drinking AMC water maintains intestinal epithelial regeneration in MS piglets.•Gut microbe is a key factor in stimulating intestinal stem cell differentiation. Diarrhea has the fourth-highest mortality rate of all diseases and causes a large number of infant deaths each year. The maternally separated (MS) piglet (newly weaned piglet) is an excellent model to investigate the treatment of diarrhea in infants. Drinking alkaline mineral water has the potential to be therapeutic in gastrointestinal disorders, particularly diarrhea, but the supporting evidence from system studies and the mechanisms involved have yet to be reported. This study aims to determine whether drinking alkaline mineral water confers diarrhea resistance in MS piglets under weaning stress and what the fundamental mechanisms involved are. MS piglets were used to create a stress-induced intestinal disorder-diarrhea susceptibility model. A total of 240 MS piglets were randomly divided into two groups (6 pens/group and 20 piglets/pen). IPEC-J2 cell line was used for in vitro evaluation. An alkaline mineral complex (AMC) water was employed, and its effect on the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis, gut microbes, gut morphology, and intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) proliferation and differentiation were investigated using a variety of experimental methodology. AMC water reduced diarrhea rate in MS piglets by inhibiting the HPA axis, ameliorating gut microbiota structure, and stimulating IEC proliferation and differentiation. Apparently, the brain-microbe-gut axis is linked with AMC water conferring diarrhea resistance in piglets. Mechanistically, AMC water decreased stress hormones (COR and Hpt) secretion by suppressing HPA axis, which th