l‑Arabinose Inhibits Colitis by Modulating Gut Microbiota in Mice

• Published in: Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 2019-12, Vol.67 (48), p.13299-13306
• Main Authors: Li, Yan, Pan, Haiou, Liu, Jin-xin, Li, Tingting, Liu, Shengnan, Shi, Wenli, Sun, Chao, Fan, Mingcong, Xue, Lamei, Wang, Yu, Nie, Chenzhipeng, Zhang, Hui, Qian, Haifeng, Ying, Hao, Wang, Li
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Arabinose - administration & dosage; Colitis - chemically induced; Colitis - drug therapy; Colitis - immunology; Colitis - microbiology; Cytokines - genetics; Cytokines - immunology; Dextran Sulfate - adverse effects; Female; Gastrointestinal Microbiome - drug effects; Humans; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases - genetics; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases - immunology; Transcription Factor RelA - genetics; Transcription Factor RelA - immunology
• ISSN: 0021-8561; 1520-5118
• DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.9b05829

l-Arabinose is a monosaccharide extracted from plants or fibers, which is known to have a variety of functional properties. In this study, we aim to investigate whether l-arabinose could inhibit colitis by modulating gut microbiota. l-Arabinose was administered in mice daily in a dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis model. The histological analysis, disease index, and the expression of inflammatory genes were measured. 16S-rRNA sequence analysis was performed to investigate gut microbiota. Intriguingly, we found that l-arabinose could repress DSS-induced colitis and inhibit p38-/p65-dependent inflammation activation. Besides that, our data revealed that l-arabinose-modulated DSS-induced gut microbiota were disturbed. Additionally, the perturbed gut microbiota was responsible for the suppressive effects of l-arabinose on DSS-induced colitis treated with antibiotics. Lastly, Caco-2 cells were used to confirm the protective effects of l-arabinose in colitis or inflammatory bowel disease. As expected, the protein expression levels in Caco-2 cells of pro-inflammatory genes, which were treated with l-arabinose and incubated with or without tumor necrosis factor alpha. Our work suggested that l-arabinose exerts anti-inflammation effects in DSS-induced colitis. These beneficial effects have correlations with the composition, diversity, and abundance of the gut microbiota regulated by l-arabinose. l-Arabinose could be a remarkable candidate as a functional food or novel therapeutic strategy for intestinal health.