Effects of Ellagic Acid Supplementation on Jejunal Morphology, Digestive Enzyme Activities, Antioxidant Capacity, and Microbiota in Mice.

Qiuying Xu,Hui Diao,Mingkang Shen,Yuxin Han

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2021.793576

Qiuying Xu, Hui Diao + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.793576

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Abstract

Ellagic acid (EA), a plant polyphenol mainly found in nuts and fruits, exhibits various biological effects. However, the effects of EA on intestinal health remain poorly understood. Hence, the present study aimed to assess the effects of EA supplementation on jejunal morphology, digestive enzyme activities, antioxidant capacity, and microbiota in C57BL/6J mice. A total of 144 mice were randomly assigned to three treatments groups: the control (CON) group received a standard pellet diet, the 0.1% EA group received a standard pellet diet plus 0.1% EA, and the 0.3% EA group received a standard pellet diet plus 0.3% EA. The mice were killed at the end of the experimental period, and jejunal samples were collected. The results revealed that the mice in the 0.3% EA group had higher (P < 0.05) average daily gain and greater (P < 0.05) jejunal villus height than those in the CON group. In addition, the jejunal lactase and sucrase activities were higher (P < 0.05) in the 0.1% EA and 0.3% EA groups, and the alkaline phosphatase activity was higher (P < 0.05) in the 0.3% EA group than in the CON group. Compared with the CON group, the administration of EA increased (P < 0.05) the superoxide dismutase and catalase activities but decreased (P < 0.05) the malonaldehyde content in the jejunum. Moreover, the jejunal messenger RNA expression levels of nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and haem oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were higher (P < 0.05) in the 0.3% EA group than in the CON group. Furthermore, compared with the CON group, the count of Escherichia coli decreased (P < 0.05), and that of Lactobacillus species increased (P < 0.05) in the 0.3% EA group. In general, our findings indicate that the administration of EA can enhance the growth of mice, promote intestinal development, increase the antioxidant capacity, and regulate the intestinal microbiota.

Highlights

The small intestine serves as the crucial site for nutrient digestion and absorption while simultaneously acting as an important line of defense against the invasion of antigens and pathogens (Nagler-Anderson, 2001; Hirata et al, 2007; Barszcz and Skomiał, 2011)
The jejunal villus height (Figure 2A) was greater in the mice fed with the Ellagic acid (EA) diet than those fed with the basal diet
The jejunal superoxide dismutase (SOD) and CAT activities significantly increased, whereas the jejunal MDA content decreased in mice fed EA. These findings suggest that EA can improve the jejunal antioxidant capacity

Summary

Introduction

The small intestine serves as the crucial site for nutrient digestion and absorption while simultaneously acting as an important line of defense against the invasion of antigens and pathogens (Nagler-Anderson, 2001; Hirata et al, 2007; Barszcz and Skomiał, 2011). It is extremely important to maintain the structural and functional integrity of the small intestine and to thereby ensure that its absorptive and protective functions are not compromised (Yu et al, 2010). Ellagic acid (EA), a natural phenolic phytochemical antioxidant, mainly occurs in vegetables and fruits, such as persimmon, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries, in addition to nuts (Derosa et al, 2016). It has important biological activities, such as antioxidative (Yüce et al, 2007), anti-inflammatory (Marín et al, 2013), anticancer (Umesalma and Sudhandiran, 2011), and antidiabetic (Fatima et al, 2017) activities. In light of the earlier information, we assessed the effects of EA supplementation on jejunal development and antioxidant capacity in mice

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