Goji berry leaf exerts a comparable effect against colitis and microbiota dysbiosis to its fruit in dextran-sulfate-sodium-treated mice
Yu C, Chen Y, Ahmadi S, Wu D, Wu J, Ding T, Liu D, Ye X, Chen S, Pan H · Food & Function · 2023 January
DOI 10.1039/D2FO02886G
Objective
To investigate the anti-colitis effects of goji berry leaf and mulberry leaf compared to their fruits in mice.
Conclusions
Goji berry leaf and goji berry were found to reduce colitic symptoms, improve tissue damage, inhibit the overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines, improve colonic barrier function, restore gut microbiota dysbiosis, and restore SCFA levels, while mulberry leaf did not have these effects.
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Insights
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.
Related insights
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