The Effect of Short-chain Fatty Acid Supplementation on Acute Colonic Inflammation in Rats Fed With Western Diet: Role of the Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor-gamma

Abstract

Increased incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with the consumption of westernized diet (WD). In male Wistar albino rats induced with colitis by oral intake of dextran-sulfate sodium (DSS) for 10 days, we investigated how colitis-induced oxidative damage is affected by WD consumption started 3 weeks before DSS intake. Secondly, the putative protective effects of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) were evaluated in both WD-fed and normal diet (ND)-fed rats. WD consumption prior to colitis induction alleviated oxidative damage and suppressed inflammatory response of the colon via the modulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ activity, suggesting a preconditioning impact of the WD. Moreover, addition of SCFA to WD abolished the elevations in lipid profile, while SCFA added to either ND or WD during the 10-day development of colonic inflammation depressed the pro-inflammatory TNF-α and IL-6 expressions and upregulated IL-10, but the reduction in oxidative damage due to WD was not further changed. The results demonstrated that acute colonic inflammation is alleviated when it is preceded by the consumption of WD, and SCFAs improved WD-induced disruption in lipid profile, implicating that SCFAs would be advantageous in IBD patients comorbid with metabolic syndrome.