Citrus peel polyphenols alleviate intestinal inflammation in mice with dextran sulfate sodium-induced acute colitis

Yajing He; Zhigao Sun; JunYing Bai; Yu Zhang; Yu Qian; Xin Zhao; Shanshan Chen

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18137

Citrus peel polyphenols alleviate intestinal inflammation in mice with dextran sulfate sodium-induced acute colitis

Heliyon. 2023 Jul 17;9(7):e18137. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18137. eCollection 2023 Jul.

Authors

Yajing He¹, Zhigao Sun¹, JunYing Bai¹, Yu Zhang², Yu Qian^{3

4}, Xin Zhao^{3

4}, Shanshan Chen¹

Affiliations

¹ Citrus Research Institute, National Citrus Engineering Technology Research Center, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
² School of Food Science, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
³ School of Food ScienChongqing Collaborative Innovation Center for Functional Food, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing, China.
⁴ College of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing, China.

Abstract

Citrus peel polyphenols have possess the distinct anti-inflammatory activities. However, its underlying mechanism on ulcerative colitis have not been elucidated. The aim of this research was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect and action mechanisms of citrus peel polyphenols. Total citrus peel polyphenols were concentrated using macroporous resins and separated into water-soluble citrus polyphenols and ester-soluble citrus peel polyphenols. These extracts were then gavaged to acute colitis mice induced by dextran sulfate sodium for 14 days using a dose of 300 mg/kg▪bw. High performance liquid chromatography results showed that the extracts contained flavanones, flavonoids, and phenolic acids. Compared to the dextran sulfate sodium group, total citrus peel polyphenols, water-soluble citrus polyphenols, and ester-soluble citrus peel polyphenols significantly ameliorated the severity of colitis symptoms. Additionally, citrus peel polyphenols reduced the activity of myeloperoxidase, lowered secretion of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6, and increased interleukin-10. Meanwhile, total citrus peel polyphenols, water-soluble citrus polyphenols, and ester-soluble citrus peel polyphenols effectively blocked the activation of the nuclear factor-kappa B. These results demonstrated that citrus peel polyphenols alleviated ulcerative colitis in mice by damping pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion and suppressing the nuclear factor-kappa B pathway activation.

Keywords: Citrus; Cytokine; Intestinal inflammation; NF-κB; Polyphenols.