A blend of formic acid, benzoic acid, and tributyrin alleviates ETEC K88-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction by regulating intestinal inflammation and gut microbiota in a murine model

• Published in: International immunopharmacology 2023-01, Vol.114, p.109538-109538, Article 109538
• Main Authors: Chen, Jun, Xia, Yingying, Hu, Youjun, Zhao, Xiaolan, You, Jinming, Zou, Tiande
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Benzoic Acid; Disease Models, Animal; Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli - physiology; Escherichia coli Infections - drug therapy; ETEC K88; Female; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Gut microbiota; Inflammation - drug therapy; Interleukin-6; Intestinal barrier dysfunction; Intestinal Diseases; Intestinal inflammation; Intestinal Mucosa; Mice; Organic acids blend; RNA, Messenger; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
• ISSN: 1567-5769; 1878-1705
• DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2022.109538

•A blend of oranic acids (formic acid, benzoic acid and tributyrin) relieved ETEC K88-caused gut barrier dysfunction in mice.•A dosage of 0.6 % oranic acids blend decreased inflammation response caused by ETEC K88 challenge in mice.•A dosage of 0.6 % oranic acids blend restored ETEC K88-induced gut microbiota disruption of mice. This study aimed to investigate the effects of an organic acid (OA) blend on intestinal barrier function, intestinal inflammation, and gut microbiota in mice challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli K88 (ETEC K88). Ninety female Kunming mice (7 weeks old) were randomly allotted to five treatments with six replicates per treatment and three mice per replicate. The five treatments were composed of the non-ETEC K88 challenge group and ETEC K88 challenge + OA blend groups (0, 0.6 %, 1.2 %, and 2.4 % OA blend). The OA blend consisted of 47.5 % formic acid, 47.5 % benzoic acid, and 5 % tributyrin. The feeding trial lasted for 15 days, and mice were intraperitoneally injected with PBS or ETEC K88 solution on day 15. At 24 h post-challenge, one mouse per replicate was selected for sample collection. The results showed that a dosage of 0.6 % OA blend alleviated the ETEC K88-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction, as indicated by the elevated villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth of jejunum, and the reduced serum diamine oxidase (DAO) and D-lactate levels, as well as the up-regulated mRNA levels of ZO-1, Claudin-1, and Occludin in jejunum mucosa of mice. Furthermore, dietary addition with 0.6 % OA blend decreased ETEC K88-induced inflammation response, as suggested by the decreased TNF-α and IL-6 levels, and the increased IgA level in the serum, as well as the down-regulated mRNA level of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, TLR-4, MyD88, and MCP-1 in jejunum mucosa of mice. Regarding gut microbiota, the beta-diversity analysis revealed a remarkable clustering between the 0.6 % OA blend group and the ETEC K88 challenge group. Supplementation of 0.6 % OA blend decreased the relative abundance of Firmicutes, and increased the relative abundance of Bacteroidota, Desulfobacterota, and Verrucomicrobiota of colonic digesta in mice. Also, the butyric acid content in the colonic digesta of mice was increased by dietary 0.6 % OA blend supplementation. Collectively, a dosage of 0.6 % OA blend could alleviate the ETEC K88-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction by regulating intestinal inflammation and gut microbiota of mice.