Apple Polyphenol Extract Suppresses <i>Clostridioides difficile</i> Infection in a Mouse Model
Zhengjie Wu,
Qiaomai Xu,
Ailing Li,
Longxian Lv,
Lanjuan Li
Affiliations
Zhengjie Wu
State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Centre for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Rd., Hangzhou 310003, China
Qiaomai Xu
State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Centre for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Rd., Hangzhou 310003, China
Ailing Li
Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital, Hangzhou 310003, China
Longxian Lv
State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Centre for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Rd., Hangzhou 310003, China
Lanjuan Li
State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Centre for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 79 Qingchun Rd., Hangzhou 310003, China
Fruits such as apples are a dietary source of polyphenols and have health benefits. We studied the benefits of apple polyphenols in reducing intestinal infections. We explored the potential roles of apple polyphenols in combating Clostridioides difficile-induced intestinal infections by modulating the intestinal microbiota and metabolism in our study. Mice fed with apple polyphenols exhibited higher survival rates and improved diarrhea symptoms in a C. difficile infection mouse model given once-daily apple polyphenol extract (200 or 400 mg/kg bw) or phosphate-buffered saline. Feeding polyphenols enhanced anti-inflammatory effects and colon barrier integrity. In addition, apple polyphenols mitigated intestinal microbiota disorders in C. difficile infection, modulating the intestinal microbiota and increasing the abundance of beneficial microbiota. Apple polyphenols also improved fecal metabolic alterations in C. difficile-infected mice and modulated the expression of pathways related to intestinal inflammation. Our results suggest that apple polyphenol extract is a potential prebiotic agent that affects the intestinal microbiota and metabolism, thereby positively influencing intestinal infections.
