Scope: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis (UC), is a chronic recurrent inflammatory disease of the digestive tract and increases the risk of colon cancer. Method and Results: This study evaluates the effects of dietary intervention with freeze-dried plum (FDP), a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory fruit with no toxicity on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced acute and chronic experimental colitis in a mouse model and studies the molecular mechanisms of protection through the gut-liver axis. The results show that FDP decreases the levels of inflammatory mediators, which is a nitrative stress biomarker in both acute and chronic models. FDP markedly reduces DSS-induced injury to the colonic epithelium in both acute and chronic models. In addition, FDP significantly decreases the levels of pro-oxidant markers such as CYP2E1, iNOS, and nitrated proteins (detected by anti-3-NT antibody) in DSS-induced acute and chronic colonic injury models. Furthermore, FDP markedly reduces markers of liver injury such as serum ALT/AST, antioxidant markers, and inflammatory mediators in DSS-induced acute and chronic colonic injury. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the FDP exhibits a protective effect on DSS-induced acute and chronic colonic and liver injury through the gut-liver axis via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic recurrent inflammatory disease of the digestive tract that causes pain and weight loss and also increases the risk of colon cancer. Inspired by...

Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is used for medicinal purposes owing to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. We evaluated the protective effect of nanovesicles isolated from hemp plant parts (root, seed, hemp sprout, and leaf) in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. The particle sizes of root-derived nanovesicles (RNVs), seed-derived nanovesicles (SNVs), hemp sprout-derived nanovesicles (HSNVs), and leaf-derived nanovesicles (LNVs) were within the range of 100–200 nm as measured by nanoparticle tracking analysis. Acute colitis was induced in C57BL/N mice by 5% DSS in water provided for 7 days. RNVs were administered orally once a day, leading to the recovery of both the small intestine and colon lengths. RNVs, SNVs, and HSNVs restored the tight (ZO-1, claudin-4, occludin) and adherent junctions (E-cadherin and α-tubulin) in DSS-induced small intestine and colon injury. Additionally, RNVs markedly reduced NF-κB activation and oxidative stress proteins in DSS-induced small intestine and colon injury. Tight junction protein expression and epithelial cell permeability were elevated in RNV-, SNV-, and HSNV-treated T84 colon cells exposed to 2% DSS. Interestedly, RNVs, SNVs, HSNVs, and LNVs reduced ALT activity and liver regeneration marker proteins in DSS-induced liver injury. These results showed for the first time that hemp-derived nanovesicles (HNVs) exhibited a protective effect on DSS-induced gut leaky and liver injury through the gut–liver axis by inhibiting oxidative stress marker proteins.

In this study, we investigated the chemical properties and antioxidant activities of Prunus salicina cultivars. We analyzed the nutritional ingredients, minerals, total polyphenols, total flavonoids, total fiber, and antioxidant activities of Prunus salicina Daeseok, Formosa, and Chuhui produced in Uiseong. There were no significant differences in the carbohydrate composition i.e., fructose, sucrose, and maltose between Prunus salicina Daeseok, Formosa, and Chuhui. Trans fat and cholesterol were not detected in any of the cultivars. The highest contents of P, K, and Ca were observed in the descending order of Prunus salicina Daeseok, Formosa, and Chuhui. In addition, the highest contents of total polyphenol and flavonoid were significantly detected in Prunus salicina Daeseok. Furthermore, the highest content of total fiber was observed in Prunus salicina Daeseok and Formosa. The highest antioxidant activities were observed in Prunus salicina Daeseok compared to Formosa and Chuhui. Taken together, these results suggest that Prunus salicina Daeseok produced in Uiseong could help develop antioxidant products.