ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems
This article is part of the Research TopicEmerging Roles of Gut Microbiota-derived Metabolites in Pathogenesis and Prevention of Inflammatory Bowel DiseaseView all articles
Preventive effect of ferulic acid on dextran sulfate sodium-induced ulcerative colitis in mice
Provisionally accepted
- 1Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing, China
- 2Jilin Agricultural Science and Technology College, Jilin, China
- 3Jilin Zhengye Biological Products Ltd. Co., Jilin 132101,, jilin, China
- 4Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
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Abstract: Introduction: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is one of the predominant forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and it is a chronic and recurring inflammation of the gastrointestinal trac. However, the therapies are associated with drug resistance and low responsiveness. Ferulic acid (FA) alleviates clinical signs and inflammatory mediators in UC, while the molecular mechanisms of FA regulation on UC remain elusive. The * Corresponding author.: Yin Baishuang, yinbaishuang@jlnku.edu.cn. College of Animal Science and Technology, Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University, Daqing 163319, China. aim of this experiment is to ascertain the preventive mechanism of FA on the noninfectious UC. Methods: Sixty male Kunming mice (6–8 weeks) were randomly allocated into six groups: Control (CON), Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), FA+DSS, FA, Prednisone (Pdn), and Pdn+DSS group. Colonic histopathology, Interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10, IL-2 concentrations, fecal calprotectin (FC), fecal lactoferrin (FL), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT) activities, MDA content and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) were quantified by HE staining, transmission electron microscopy, and ELISA Kit. Gut microbiota composition was analyzed by sequencing of the 16S rRNA V4 gene region. Results: Compared with the DSS group, FA administration significantly reduced IL-1β and IL-6 levels, FC and FL, promoted the increase of IL-2 and IL-10, markedly elevated activities of SOD, GSH-Px, CAT and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) activity, and decreased MDA levels. Moreover, preventive FA supplementation improved extensive inflammation infiltration and crypt destruction in colon of UC mice, mitochondrial damage in the colonic epithelial cells. Preventive FA supplementation exhibited a return to original levels of Muribaculaceae and Clostridia. Conclusion: Collectively, FA and Pdn effectively attenuated DSS-induced UC by restoring colonic morphology, suppressing inflammatory mediators, enhancing antioxidant capacity, and regulating gut microbiota. These findings provide a promising strategy for the expanded application of FA in UC prevention.
Keywords: antioxidant capacity, ferulic acid, Gut Microbiota, Mice, ulcerative colitis
Received: 14 Dec 2025; Accepted: 16 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Zhong, Dong, Zheng, Zhu, Lian, Huang and Yin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yanzhu Zhu
Baishuang Yin
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