Red Cabbage Juice-Mediated Gut Microbiota Modulation Improves Intestinal Epithelial Homeostasis and Ameliorates Colitis

Authors

Emily Jean Wilson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Nagabhishek Sirpu Natesh, University of Missouri
Parsa Ghadermazi, Colorado State University
Ramesh Pothuraju, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Dipakkumar R. Prajapati, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Sanjit Pandey, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Jussuf T. Kaifi, University of Missouri
John R. Dodam, University of Missouri
Jeffrey Bryan, University of Missouri
Christian L. Lorson, University of Missouri
Aude A. Watrelot, Iowa State University
Jason M. Foster, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Thomas J. Mansell, Iowa State University
Siu Hung Joshua Chan, Colorado State University
Surinder K. Batra, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Jeyamkondan Subbiah, University of Arkansas
Satyanarayana Rachagani, University of Missouri

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

12-30-2023

Citation

JeanWilson, E.; Sirpu Natesh, N.; Ghadermazi, P.; Pothuraju, R.; Prajapati, D.R.; Pandey, S.; Kaifi, J.T.; Dodam, J.R.; Bryan, J.N.; Lorson, C.L.; et al. Red Cabbage Juice-Mediated Gut Microbiota Modulation Improves Intestinal Epithelial Homeostasis and Ameliorates Colitis. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 539. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/ijms25010539

Comments

Open access.

Abstract

Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and can potentially prevent IBD through microbial-derived metabolites, making it a promising therapeutic avenue. Recent evidence suggests that despite an unclear underlying mechanism, red cabbage juice (RCJ) alleviates Dextran Sodium Sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. Thus, the study aims to unravel the molecular mechanism by which RCJ modulates the gut microbiota to alleviate DSS-induced colitis in mice. Using C57BL/6J mice, we evaluated RCJ’s protective role in DSS-induced colitis through two cycles of 3% DSS. Mice were daily gavaged with PBS or RCJ until the endpoint, and gut microbiota composition was analyzed via shotgun metagenomics. RCJ treatment significantly improved body weight (p ≤ 0.001), survival in mice (p < 0.001) and reduced disease activity index (DAI) scores. Further, RCJ improved colonic barrier integrity by enhancing the expression of protective colonic mucins (p < 0.001) and tight junction proteins (p ≤ 0.01) in RCJ + DSS-treated mice compared to the DSS group. Shotgun metagenomic analysis revealed an enrichment of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-producing bacteria (p < 0.05), leading to increased Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma (PPAR-ү ) activation (p ≤ 0.001). This, in turn, resulted in repression of the nuclear factor кB (NFкB) signaling pathway, causing decreased production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Our study demonstrates colitis remission in a DSS-induced mouse model, showcasing RCJ as a potential modulator for gut microbiota and metabolites, with promising implications for IBD prevention and treatment.