colon mucus

In this study, we prepared antisense oligonucleotide (ASO)-encapsulated nanoparticles (NPs) with a suitable profile for oral administration for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We chose a water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w) method to prepare the NPs using poly(lactide-co-glycolide) as a matrix and Pluronic as a stabilizer. The obtained NPs had a suitable diameter (158 nm) for the penetration of the mucus layer, endocytic uptake by enterocytes, and accumulation in inflammatory lesions in the intestine...

Probiotics, recognized as beneficial and active microorganisms, often face challenges in maintaining their functionality under harsh conditions such as exposure to stomach acid and bile salts. In this investigation, we developed probiotic microcapsules and assessed their protective effects and underlying mechanisms in a murine model of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis using male C57BL/6J mice. The administration of the probiotic microcapsules significantly mitigated body weight loss, prevented colon length shortening, decreased the disease activity index scores, and reduced histopathological scores in mice with DSS-induced colitis...

Chorioamnionitis is a risk factor for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Ureaplasma parvum (UP) is clinically the most isolated microorganism in chorioamnionitis, but its pathogenicity remains debated. Chorioamnionitis is associated with ileal barrier changes, but colonic barrier alterations, including those of the mucus barrier, remain under-investigated, despite their importance in NEC pathophysiology. Therefore, in this study, the hypothesis that antenatal UP exposure disturbs colonic mucus barrier integrity, thereby potentially contributing to NEC pathogenesis, was investigated...

The human gut microbiota relies on complex carbohydrates (glycans) for energy and growth, primarily dietary fiber and host-derived mucins. We introduce a mathematical model of a glycan generalist and a mucin specialist in a two-compartment chemostat model of the human colon. Our objective is to characterize the influence of dietary fiber and mucin supply on the abundance of mucin-degrading species within the gut ecosystem. Current mathematical gut reactor models that include the enzymatic degradation of glycans do not differentiate between glycan types and their degraders...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Spinal cord injury (SCI) affects roughly 300,000 Americans with 17,000 new cases added annually. In addition to paralysis, 60% of people with SCI develop neurogenic bowel (NB), a syndrome characterized by slow colonic transit, constipation, and chronic abdominal pain. The knowledge gap surrounding NB mechanisms after SCI means that interventions are primarily symptom-focused and largely ineffective. The goal of the present studies was to identify mechanism(s) that initiate and maintain NB after SCI as a critical first step in the development of evidence-based, novel therapeutic treatment options...

Dietary absorption and digestion are influenced by the microbiota, morphology, and digestive enzymes of intestines, and fermentation is a popular and effective technique to enhance animal rearing growth performance. This study aims to explore the pivotal role of Muscovy duck probiotics fermented feedstuff (FF) in altering the growth performance by reshaping gut morphology, microorganisms and metabolism. The findings showed that FF considerably raised the levels of fatty acids (FA) and small peptides (7-19AA) in the diet...

Inflammation in ulcerative colitis is typically restricted to the mucosal layer of distal gut. Disrupted mucus barrier, coupled with microbial dysbiosis, has been reported to occur prior to the onset of inflammation. Here, we show the involvement of vesicular trafficking protein Rab7 in regulating the colonic mucus system. We identified a lowered Rab7 expression in goblet cells of colon during human and murine colitis. In vivo Rab7 knocked down mice (Rab7KD ) displayed a compromised mucus layer, increased microbial permeability, and depleted gut microbiota with enhanced susceptibility to dextran sodium-sulfate induced colitis...

The oral formulation design for colon-specific drug delivery brings some therapeutic benefits in the ulcerative colitis treatment. We recently reported the specific delivery of hemoglobin nanoparticles-conjugating 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA-HbNPs) to the inflamed site. In the current study, the therapeutic effect of the 5-ASA-HbNPs formulation was confirmed in vivo. This evaluation of 5-ASA-HbNPs not only shows longer colonic retention time due to adhesive properties, also provides full support for it as compared with free 5-ASA...

BACKGROUND: Diarrheal irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D), characterized primarily by the presence of diarrhea and abdominal pain, is a clinical manifestation resulting from a multitude of causative factors. Furthermore, Sishen Wan (SSW) has demonstrated efficacy in treating IBS-D. Nevertheless, its mechanism of action remains unclear. METHODS: A model of IBS-D was induced by a diet containing 45 % lactose and chronic unpredictable mild stress. Additionally, the impact of SSW was assessed by measuring body weight, visceral sensitivity, defecation parameters, intestinal transport velocity, intestinal neurotransmitter levels, immunohistochemistry, and transmission electron microscopy analysis...

Mycotoxin contamination has become a major food safety issue and greatly threatens human and animal health. Patulin (PAT), a common mycotoxin in the environment, is exposed through the food chain and damages the gastrointestinal tract. However, its mechanism of enterotoxicity at the genetic and metabolic levels remains to be elucidated. Herein, the intestinal histopathological and biochemical indices, transcriptome, and metabolome of C57BL/6 J mice exposed to different doses of PAT were successively assessed, as well as the toxicokinetics of PAT in vivo...

Metabolic diseases are comprehensive disease based on obesity. Numerous cumulative studies have shown a certain correlation between the fluctuating abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila and the occurrence of metabolic diseases. A. muciniphila , a potential probiotic candidate colonized in the human intestinal mucus layer, and its derivatives have various physiological functions, including treating metabolic disorders and maintaining human health. This review systematically explicates the abundance change rules of A...

UNLABELLED: Dietary fiber deprivation is linked to probiotic extinction, mucus barrier dysbiosis, and the overgrowth of mucin-degrading bacteria. However, whether and how mucin could rescue fiber deprivation-induced intestinal barrier defects remains largely unexplored. Here, we sought to investigate the potential role and mechanism by which exogenous mucin maintains the gut barrier function. The results showed that dietary mucin alleviated fiber deprivation-induced disruption of colonic barrier integrity and reduced spermine production in vivo ...

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic inflammatory conditions characterized by disruptions in the colonic mucus barrier and gut microbiota. In this study, a novel soluble polysaccharide obtained from Boletus aereus (BAP) through water extraction was examined for its structure. The protective effects of BAP on colitis were investigated using a DSS-induced mice model. BAP was found to promote the expression of intestinal mucosal and tight junction proteins, restore the compromised mucus barrier, and suppress the activation of inflammatory signaling...

BACKGROUND: The incidence of ulcerative colitis (UC) is on the rise globally and the development of drugs targeting UC is urgent. Finding the target of action of natural products is important for drug discovery, elucidation of drug action mechanism, and disease mechanism. San-Ye-Qing (SYQ), is an ancient herbal medicine, but whether the powder of its rhizome has pharmacological effects against UC and its mechanism of action are not clear. PURPOSE: To evaluate the therapeutic effectiveness of rhizome powder of SYQ in treating UC, and conduct an isolation and characterization of the chemical constituents of the powder...

As a vitro absorption model, the Caco-2 cells originate from a human colon adenocarcinomas and can differentiate into a cell layer with enterocyte-like features. The Caco-2 cell model is popularly applied to explore drug transport mechanisms, to evaluate the permeability of drug and to predict the absorption of drugs or bioactive substances in the gut. However, there are limitations to the application of Caco-2 cell model due to lack of a mucus layer, the long culture period and the inability to accurately simulate the intestinal environment...

Intestinal mucus barrier disruption may occur with chronic inflammatory enteropathies. The lack of studies evaluating mucus health in dogs with chronic colitis arises from inherent challenges with assessment of the intestinal mucus layer. It is therefore unknown if reduced goblet cell (GBC) numbers and/or mucin 2 (MUC2) expression, which are responsible for mucus production and secretion, correlate with inflammation severity in dogs with granulomatous colitis (GC) or lymphocytic-plasmacytic colitis (LPC). It is undetermined if Ki-67 immunoreactivity, which has been evaluated in dogs with small intestinal inflammation, similarly correlates to histologic severity in GC and LPC...

Mucin protein glycosylation is important in determining biological properties of mucus gels, which form protective barriers at mucosal surfaces of the body such as the intestine. Ecological factors including: age, sex, and diet can change mucus barrier properties by modulating mucin glycosylation. However, as our understanding stems from controlled laboratory studies in house mice, the combined influence of ecological factors on mucin glycosylation in real-world contexts remains limited. In this study, we used histological staining with 'Alcian Blue, Periodic Acid, Schiff's' and 'High-Iron diamine' to assess the acidic nature of mucins stored within goblet cells of the intestine, in a wild mouse population (Mus musculus)...

Bacteriophages (phages) are estimated to be the most abundant microorganisms on Earth. Their presence in human blood suggests that they can translocate from non-sterile sites such as the gastrointestinal tract where they are concentrated. To examine phage translocation ex vivo , we adapted a primary colonoid monolayer model possessing cell diversity and architecture, and a thick layer of mucus akin to the colonic environment in vivo . We show that the colonoid monolayer is superior to the Caco-2 cell-line model, possessing intact and organized tight junctions and generating a physiologically relevant mucus layer...

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are chronic conditions characterized by periods of spontaneous intestinal inflammation and are increasing in industrialized populations. Combined with host genetics, diet and gut bacteria are thought to contribute prominently to IBDs, but mechanisms are still emerging. In mice lacking the IBD-associated cytokine, interleukin-10, we show that a fiber-deprived gut microbiota promotes the deterioration of colonic mucus, leading to lethal colitis. Inflammation starts with the expansion of natural killer cells and altered immunoglobulin-A coating of some bacteria...

Industrialization has transformed the gut microbiota, reducing the prevalence of Prevotella relative to Bacteroides . Here, we isolate Bacteroides and Prevotella strains from the microbiota of Hadza hunter-gatherers in Tanzania, a population with high levels of Prevotella . We demonstrate that plant-derived microbiota-accessible carbohydrates (MACs) are required for persistence of Prevotella copri but not Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron in vivo . Differences in carbohydrate metabolism gene content, expression, and in vitro growth reveal that Hadza Prevotella strains specialize in degrading plant carbohydrates, while Hadza Bacteroides isolates use both plant and host-derived carbohydrates, a difference mirrored in Bacteroides from non-Hadza populations...