Effect of a Milk-Based Fruit Beverage Enriched with Plant Sterols and/or Galactooligosaccharides in a Murine Chronic Colitis Model

Abstract

The potential anti-inflammatory effect of plant sterols (PS) enriched milk-based fruit beverages (PS, 1 g/100 mL) (MfB) with/without galactooligosaccharides (GOS, 2 g/100 mL) (MfB-G) in an experimental mice model of chronic ulcerative colitis was evaluated. Beverages were orally administered to mice every day by gavage to achieve PS and GOS doses of 35 and 90 mg/kg, respectively, and experimental colitis was induced by giving mice drinking water ad libitum containing 2% (w/v) dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) for 7 days, alternating with periods without DSS up to the end of the study (56 days). MfB beverage showed significant reduction of symptoms associated to ulcerative colitis and improved the colon shortening and mucosal colonic damage, but it was not able to reduce the increase of myeloperoxidase levels produced by DSS. MfB-G showed higher incidence of bloody feces and loss of stool consistency than MfB, as well as high levels of immune cells infiltration in colon tissue and myeloperoxidase. Therefore, PS-enriched milk-based fruit beverage could be an interesting healthy food to extend the remission periods of the diseases and the need to evaluate, in a pre-clinical model, the anti-inflammatory effect of the combination of bioactive compounds in the context of a whole food matrix.

Phytosterols: From Preclinical Evidence to Potential Clinical Applications

“…Additionally, PSs were proved to allow homeostatic stability restoration of hepatic and colon metabolism in an experimental colitis mice model ( Iaccarino et al, 2019 ). Similar findings were stated by López-García and colleagues ( López-García et al, 2019 ) following administration of a PS-enriched milk-based fruit beverage in a murine chronic colitis model, where a marked reduction in ulcerative colitis-associated symptoms was stated along with an improvement in colon shortening and mucosal colonic damage.…”

Sangiovese cv Pomace Seeds Extract-Fortified Kefir Exerts Anti-Inflammatory Activity in an In Vitro Model of Intestinal Epithelium Using Caco-2 Cells

“…In addition, red wine polyphenols can reinforce and protect the intestinal barrier against inflammatory stimuli by affecting the tight junction protein expression [9]. Noteworthy, not only plant-derived polyphenols are able to support the gastrointestinal barrier, but also polyphenols derived from milk fermentation, which can be found in products such as yogurt and kefir [10,11]. Fermented milk products showed protective effects towards the intestinal barrier.…”

Secondary Metabolite Profiling, Anti-Inflammatory and Hepatoprotective Activity of Neptunia triquetra (Vahl) Benth

“…4-Propoxyphenol has been reported in plants [ 45 , 46 ], however it has not been evaluated for anti-inflammatory or hepatoprotective activity. Stigmasterol, γ-sitosterol and campesterol are the identified phytosterols and have been reported for their anti-inflammatory [ 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 ] and antioxidant activities [ 54 , 55 , 56 ]. 24,25-Dihydroxy vitamin D is a biologically active secosteroid.…”