Polyphenol Extracts from Ziziphus jujuba Mill. “Junzao” Attenuates Ulcerative Colitis by Inhibiting the NLRP3 and MAPKs Signaling Pathways and Regulating Gut Microbiota Homeostasis in Mice

• Published in: Molecular nutrition & food research 2024-04, Vol.68 (8), p.e2300643-n/a
• Main Authors: Wei, Xiaobo, Ma, Ni, Yang, Wen, Tian, Jinhu, Liu, Huiyan, Fang, Haitian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Blood levels; Digestive system; Dysbacteriosis; Food intake; Gastrointestinal tract; gut microbiota; Homeostasis; Inflammatory bowel disease; Inflammatory bowel diseases; Intestinal microflora; Intestine; Kinases; Microbiota; Microorganisms; Mucin; NLRP3 and MAPKs signaling pathway; polyphenol extracts; Polyphenols; Protein kinase C; Proteins; Pyrin protein; rRNA 16S; Signal transduction; Signs and symptoms; Ulcerative colitis; Water intake; Water intakes; Ziziphus jujuba; Ziziphus jujuba Mill. “Junzao”
• ISSN: 1613-4125; 1613-4133
• DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.202300643

Scope Polyphenols are the major active substances in red jujube fruit, and their anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant activities suggest their potential utility in the prevention of ulcerative colitis (UC). Methods and results In this study, the effect of polyphenol extracts from red jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill. “Junzao”) (PERJ) on the dextron sulfate sodium (DSS)‐induced UC mice is investigated. The result shows that PERJ effectively improves clinical symptoms, including food and water intake, the disease activity insex (DAI) and spleen index, and routine blood levels, and alleviates the shortening of the colon, in mice with DSS‐induced UC. Meanwhile, PERJ remarkably decreases the expression of proinflammatory factors. Moreover, PERJ repairs intestinal barrier damage by increasing the expression level of mucin 2 and mucin 3, and the result is also confirmed in the histological assessment. Besides, the expression levels of Nod‐like receptor family pyrin domain‐containing 3 (NLRP3) and mitogen‐activated protein kinase cascade (MAPKs) signaling pathway‐related proteins are inhibited by the PERJ administration. Finally, 16S rRNA sequencing analyses reveal that PERJ reverses intestinal microbiota dysbiosis by enhancing the abundance of Firmicutes and decreasing that of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Conclusion PERJ probably inhibits the development of UC by suppressing the NLRP3 and MAPKs signaling pathways and regulating gut microbiota homeostasis, and can be considered as a potential resource for preventing UC. Polyphenol extracts from red jujube probably inhibit the development of ulcerative colitis by suppressing the NLRP3 and MAPKs signaling pathways and regulating gut microbiota homeostasis.