AUTHOR=Huang Jiazhang , Xu Pengfei , Shao Mingzhi , Wei Bin , Zhang Cong , Zhang Jie 

TITLE=Humic acids alleviate dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis by positively modulating gut microbiota

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1147110

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2023.1147110

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=Humic acids (HAs) are natural polymers with diverse functional groups that have been documented and utilized in traditional Chinese medicine. Dextran Sulfate Sodium (DSS)-induced enteritis has been used a model to study inflammatory bowel disease. In this research, we investigate the effect of HAs on ameliorating DSS induced colitis in mice. Our aim here was to investigate if HAs could be a remedy against enteritis and the mechanisms. The results present that HAs facilitate regain of body weight and restoration of intestinal morphology after DSS-induced enteritis. HAs treatment alters the community of gut microbiota with more Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Changes in bacterial community result in lower amounts of lipopolysaccharides in mouse sera, as well as lower levels of inflammatory cytokines through Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-NF-κB pathway. HAs also promote the expression of tight junction proteins, which protects the intestinal barrier from DSS damage. Cell experiments show that HAs display the inhibitory effect on DSS growth as well. These results suggest that HAs can alleviate enteritis by regulating intestinal microbiota, reducing inflammation, maintaining mucosal barriers, and inhibiting pathogen growth. Thus, HAs offer the great potential for the prevention and treatment of enteritis.