Dual effects of a high-protein diet on DSS-treated mice during colitis resolution phase.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine the impact of a high-protein diet on colonic mucosal inflammation and recovery in DSS-treated mice.
Results Summary
The high-protein diet showed deleterious effects during the post-induction phase of colitis, including higher inflammation intensity and mortality, but was associated with enhanced colonic epithelium restoration in surviving animals.
Population
DSS-treated mice (animal model of colitis).
Effective Dosage
Not specified (isocaloric high-protein diet).
Duration
19 days (5-day DSS treatment + 14-day recovery).
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
high-protein (HP) isocaloric diet | increase | inflammation intensity | DSS-treated mice | - | was higher | #1 |
high-protein (HP) isocaloric diet | increase | inflammatory score | DSS-treated mice | - | higher | #2 |
high-protein (HP) isocaloric diet | increase | body weight loss | DSS-treated mice | - | higher | #3 |
high-protein (HP) isocaloric diet | increase | mortality rate | DSS-treated mice | - | higher | #4 |
high-protein (HP) isocaloric diet | increase | colonic crypt height | surviving animals | - | an increase | #5 |
high-protein (HP) isocaloric diet | increase | number of colon epithelial cells per crypt | surviving animals | - | higher | #6 |
high-protein (HP) isocaloric diet | increase | TGF-β3 content | surviving animals | - | higher | #7 |
high-protein (HP) isocaloric diet | neutral | colonic expression patterns of tight junction proteins and E-cadherin | DSS-treated mice | - | different | #8 |
high-protein (HP) isocaloric diet | neutral | post-induction phase | DSS-treated mice | - | showed deleterious effects | #9 |
high-protein (HP) isocaloric diet | neutral | colonic crypt repair after acute inflammation | surviving animals | - | associated with morphological and biochemical differences compatible with higher colonic epithelium restoration | #10 |
The impact of the dietary protein level on the process of colonic mucosal inflammation and subsequent recovery remains largely unknown. In this study, we fed DSS-treated mice with either a normoproteic (NP) or a high-protein (HP) isocaloric diet from the beginning of the 5-day dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) treatment to 14 days later. Measurements of colitis indicators (colon weight:length ratio, myeloperoxidase activity, cytokine expressions) showed a similar level of colonic inflammation in both DSS groups during the colitis induction phase. However, during the colitis resolution phase, inflammation intensity was higher in the DSS-HP group than in the DSS-NP group as evidenced by higher inflammatory score and body weight loss. This coincided with a higher mortality rate. In surviving animals, an increase in colonic crypt height associated with a higher number of colon epithelial cells per crypt, and TGF-β3 content was observed in the DSS-HP vs. DSS-NP group. Moreover, colonic expression patterns of tight junction proteins and E-cadherin were also different according to the diet. Altogether, our results indicate that the HP diet, when given during both the induction and resolution periods of DSS-induced colitis, showed deleterious effects during the post-induction phase. However, HP diet ingestion was also associated with morphological and biochemical differences compatible with higher colonic epithelium restoration in surviving animals, indicating an effect of the dietary protein level on colonic crypt repair after acute inflammation. These data highlight the potential impact of the dietary protein amount during the colitis course.