12 Feb , 18:57
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Arabinoxylan fiber derived from sugarcane bagasse — a byproduct of processing — is capable of reducing intestinal inflammation in ulcerative colitis. This conclusion was reached by researchers from Nanchang University. Their work was published in the journal Food & Function.
Ulcerative colitis is a chronic disease in which shallow lesions — ulcers — form on the mucous membrane of the large intestine. The inflammatory process is accompanied by abdominal pain, digestive disorders, and blood in the stool.
During experiments on mice, arabinoxylan demonstrated the ability to suppress inflammation provoked by dextran sulfate sodium. This polysaccharide compound is widely used in biochemical and pharmacological research to model colitis, which makes it possible to evaluate the effects of drugs on the intestinal microbiome.
Rodents that received the supplement showed positive dynamics: their body weight, disease activity index, and colon length improved. At the same time, a decrease in the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines was recorded, and the mucous membrane began to recover — the number of goblet cells producing protective mucus increased.
The main mechanism of arabinoxylan's action turned out to be related to the microbiota. The supplement transformed the composition of intestinal bacteria: the numbers of potentially beneficial genera increased — Bacteroides, Roseburia, Akkermansia, Ligilactobacillus, and Parabacteroides. At the same time, the population of microorganisms associated with inflammation — Clostridium, Enterococcus, and Escherichia-Shigella — decreased.
Scientists note that the experiments were conducted on animals, so drawing conclusions about the therapeutic effect for humans is premature. However, the obtained data open up prospects for using dietary fibers of plant origin as an additional tool for maintaining intestinal health in inflammatory diseases.
