Supplementation of Rhodomyrtus tomentosa fruit polyphenols improved dextran sulfate induced colitis in mice by regulating gut microbiota

Abstract

To investigate the therapeutic effect of polyphenol from the fruits of Rhodomyrtus tomentosa (RTFP) on experimental colitis induced by dextran sulphate sodium(DSS) in mice. A total of 24 Babl/c mice were randomly divided into normal control group, colitis model group and DSS+RTFP intervention group, respectively. The intestinal disease activity index (DAI), pathological histology of colon were investigated, and the changes of gut microbiota in mice were evaluated by 16S rRNA sequencing. Compared with the DSS-induced colitis group, RTFP showed intestinal anti-inflammatory effects, the DAI score was significantly decreased, RTFP improved colitis induced weight loss, fecal imformation and blood in the stool. RTFP relieved the phenomenon of shortening colon length, shortening intestinal wall, and splenomegaly. RTFP intervention inhibited the increase of bacteroides abundance caused by DSS, and remodeled the diversity of gut microbiota. Taken together, RTFP could effectively intervene in experimental colitis induced by DSS in mice, which may be related to the modulating gut microbiota and intestinal cell immune balance.