Curcumin-loaded high internal phase emulsions alleviated dextran sulfate sodium-induced ulcerative colitis in mice via inhibiting inflammatory response and modulating gut microbiota

Abstract

Curcumin is a polyphenol compound that presents an anti-colitis effect. However, oral curcumin exhibits limited in vivo biological efficacy, which may be solved by the use of high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) that show remarkable abilities: bioactive compounds delivery, high chemical stability and loading capacity, as well as controlled release, etc. The objective of this study was to investigate the preventive effect of curcumin-loaded HIPEs using a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis C57BL/6J mice model. After 30 mg/ml DSS treatment, all mice exhibited weight loss and shortening of colon tissues to different extents. Compared to the DSS group, the disease activity index and weight loss were considerably suppressed in the curcumin-loaded corn oil and curcumin-loaded HIPEs groups. These groups also exhibited reduced colonic crypt damage, mucosal inflammation and cellular infiltration in the histopathological sections of the colon. Dietary curcumin-loaded HIPEs inhibited the inflammatory response via reducing the contents of inflammatory factors (IL-6, TNF-α and IL-1β) and increasing the content of anti-inflammatory factor (IL-10) significantly. And the relative abundances of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were highly reduced and increased, respectively. These findings provide insights into expanding the utilization of curcumin and HIPEs in food systems for the treatment of colon inflammation and related diseases.