This article contains findings obtained from research on animals:
- The results from animal research studies should not be directly applied to humans and the results may not generalise to the human population.
- There may be significant differences between species in terms of physiology, physiology, and pharmacology, as well as differences in the way diseases and treatments are modelled in animals.
- Any conclusions drawn from animal research should be considered with caution and in the context of other types of research studies such as observational studies, clinical trials, and reviews of the literature.
Insights & Discussion
Goji berry leaves have stronger anti-colitis effects than mulberry leaves, ameliorating tissue damage and better regulating inflammatory responses and gut microbiota.
The research entailed a comparative study conducted on goji berry and mulberry leaves versus their respective fruits. To determine their anti-colitis effects, the experiment was administered to C57BL/6N mice that had been induced with colitis through dextran-sulfate-sodium. Through the utilization of measures such as ELISA and western blotting analysis, researchers were able to observe how each leaf versus its corresponding fruit ameliorated colitic symptoms, tissue damage, and was able to influence the overproduction of certain pro-inflammatory cytokines.
The results showed that both the goji berry leaf and fruit significantly reduced symptoms of colitis and improved tissue damage while the mulberry leaf did not show similar improvements. The goji berry leaf exhibited the strongest performance in restraining the overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines and further repairing the damaged colonic barrier. It also effectively adjusted gut microbiota equilibrium by increasing beneficial bacteria and decreasing harmful ones. The berries and leaves similarly restored certain dietary fibers to alleviate inflammation, but the mulberry leaf did not achieve this for butyrate. This is the first report to provide a comprehensive contrast of anti-colitis effects between the leaves and fruits of goji and mulberry.
Discover Related Insights
Cooked adzuki beans contribute notably to preventing obesity and regulating gut microbiota composition, while also alleviating systemic inflammation and metabolic disorders.
2022 Frontiers in Nutrition Cooked Adzuki Bean Reduces High-Fat Diet-Induced Body Weight Gain, Ameliorates Inflammation, and Modulates Intestinal Homeostasis in Mice Zhao Q, Liu Z, Zhu Y, Wang H, Dai Z, Yang X, et al.
Animal Study Adzuki Bean Anti-Inflammatory Fatty Liver Disease
The methodology involved a controlled experiment where mice were fed diets of varying lipid content: a low-fat diet or a high-fat diet. The specific twist in this experiment was the inclusion or exclusion of cooked adzuki beans to their diet, ensuring 15% of the diet comprised of this. The duration of this dietary regimen was 12 weeks.
In the discussion of results, it was discovered that cooked adzuki beans provided key beneficial effects. This included a significant inhibition of weight gain and hepatic steatosis, a reduction in high levels of specific markers such as serum triacylglycerol, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase, providing a counter to systemic inflammation and metabolism-related endotoxemia commonly found in those consuming a high-fat diet. Moreover, the inclusion of adzuki beans positively affected the gut microbiota composition, reducing fat-inducing bacteria and enriching the gut with beneficial bacteria to help alleviate inflammation and metabolic disorders associated with high-fat diets.
Two French natural mineral waters (NMW1 and NMW2) show anti-inflammatory effects and can reduce intestinal inflammation in mice with induced colitis.
2021 International Journal of Molecular Sciences Beneficial Effects of Natural Mineral Waters on Intestinal Inflammation and the Mucosa-Associated Microbiota Barnich N, Rodrigues M, Sauvanet P, Chevarin C, Denis S, Le Goff O, et al.
Experimental Study Colitis Digestive Health Gut Microbiota
The study investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of two French natural mineral waters (NMWs) - NMW1 (rich in calcium, magnesium, sodium, carbon, and iron) and NMW2 (mainly bicarbonate) - on intestinal inflammation. Intestinal epithelial cells were stimulated with heat-inactivated Escherichia coli or hydrogen peroxide and then treated with NMWs. Additionally, moderate colitis was induced in Balbc/J mice using 1% dextran sulfate sodium. These mice were then given either NMW1, NMW2, or control water. The study assessed general symptoms, histological features of colitis, fecal lipocalin-2 levels, pro-inflammatory KC cytokine levels, and the global mucosa-associated microbiota.
Both NMW1 and NMW2 showed anti-inflammatory effects in treated intestinal cells. In the colitis-induced mice, NMW1 notably reduced inflammation, evidenced by lower disease activity scores, reduced fecal lipocalin-2, decreased release of pro-inflammatory KC cytokines, and smaller intestinal epithelial lesions. NMW1 also helped in maintaining the normal state of mucosa-associated microbiota. These findings suggest the potential of these NMWs in managing inflammatory bowel disease through modulating gut microbiota.
Dietary supplementation with Goji berries enhances Bifidobacteria and butyrate-producing bacteria growth, resulting in potential preventative effects against colitis.
2018 Molecular Nutrition & Food Research Goji Berry Modulates Gut Microbiota and Alleviates Colitis in IL‐10‐Deficient Mice Kang Y, Yang G, Zhang S, Ross CF, Zhu MJ
Experimental Study Colitis Goji Berry Gut Microbiota
In this study, two groups of IL-10-deficient mice were used, with one group kept on a standard rodent diet and the other supplemented with a Goji berry diet, accounting for 1% of the dry feed's weight. These diets were maintained for 10 weeks. Colonic tissues and fecal contents were collected and analysed after this period.
In the Goji supplemented group, there was a noticeable decrease in colonic pathobiological scores, a reduced mRNA expression of Il17a and Tgfb1, and an increase in Muc1 expression and fecal IgA content. Goji supplementation was found to increase the Actinobacteria phylum, leading to a surge in Bifidobacteria in the gut microbiota. Dietary Goji also promoted the growth of butyrate-producing bacteria like the Lachnospiraceae-Ruminococcaceae family and Roseburia species under Clostridium cluster XIVa, with Clostridium leptum and Fecalibacterium prazusnitzii significantly increased in the Goji group. Interestingly, the gene encoding butyryl-coenzyme A CoA transferase, crucial for butyrate synthesis in these bacteria, showed a sixfold increase in the fecal samples from the Goji group, correlating with higher fecal butyrate levels. This phenomenon indicates that Goji berry's dietary inclusion results in Bifidobacteria proliferation and the butyrate-producing bacteria's blooming, which may have cross-feeding relationships providing preventative effects against colitis.