High Red Meat Intake Exacerbates Dextran Sulfate-Induced Colitis by Altering Gut Microbiota in Mice

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a serious hazard to public health, but the precise etiology of the disease is unclear. High intake of red meat diet is closely related to the occurrence of IBD. In this study, we investigated whether the high intake of red meat can increase the sensitivity of colitis and the underlying mechanism. Mice were fed with different levels of red meat for 8 weeks and then the colonic contents were analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Then 3% dextran sulfate sodium was used to induce colitis in mice. We observed the severity of colitis and inflammatory cytokines. We found that high-dose red meat caused intestinal microbiota disorder, reduced the relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, Faecalibaculum, Blautia and Dubosiella, and increased the relative abundance of Bacteroides and Alistipes. This in turn leads to an increase in colitis and inflammatory cytokine secretion. Moreover, we found that high red meat intake impaired the colon barrier integrity and decreased the expression of ZO-1, claudin, and occludin. We also found high red meat intake induced the production of more inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-17, and IL-6 and inflammatory inducible enzymes such as COX-2 and iNOS in dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis. These results suggest that we should optimize the diet and reduce the intake of red meat to prevent the occurrence of IBD.

The Regulatory Effects of Citrus Peel Powder on Liver Metabolites and Gut Flora in Mice with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

“…The genus Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group can prevent and treat acute colitis [ 49 ]. Some researchers have found that Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group is butyrate-producing bacteria, and butyrate protects the intestinal mucosa and reduces host inflammation [ 50 , 51 ]. In the present study, we observed a remarkable increase in the abundance of Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group in the HFC group, suggesting that CPP supplementation protects the intestinal mucosa and reduces the occurrence of inflammation.…”

Dietary Patterns and Gut Microbiota Changes in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Current Insights and Future Challenges

“…Statole and indole are typtophan metabolites, and statole was found to be associated with the pathogenesis of IBD via inducing intestinal epithelial death [ 52 ]. Furthermore, a high intake of red meat resulted in reduced abundance of Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group , Faecalibaculum , Blautia and Dubosiella , and increased abundance of Bacteroides and Alistipes in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis [ 38 ]. Most of the studies found the negative effect of excessive intake of animal protein, especially red meat, while soy-pea protein was considered having a protective effect [ 53 ].…”

Linarin ameliorates dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in C57BL/6J mice via the improvement of intestinal barrier, suppression of inflammatory responses and modulation of gut microbiota

“…44 Alistipes is considered as a pathogenic bacteria associated with the development of colitis. 45 The abundance of Rikenella , a genus in the Rikenellaceae family, is significantly increased in the immune system diseases. 46 In the present study, DSS treatment increased the relative abundances of the harmful microbes, which confirmed previous studies.…”