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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Microbes
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1579889
This article is part of the Research Topic Preparation of Active Components from Marine Sources and Exploration of Their Health Functions in Gut Microbiota Regulation and Lipid Metabolism View all articles
Entermorpha prolifera soluble dietary fiber alleviates ulcerative colitis through restoration of mucosal barrier and gut microbiota homeostasis
Provisionally accepted
Yuan-Yuan Ding 1,2 Xin-Yi Tang 2 Yu Tian 2 Feng-Long Zhang 2 Xiang Ding 2 Meng-Chun Qi 1 Wei Dong 1
Chen-Guang Liu 2*- 1 North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, Hebei Province, China
- 2 College of Marine Life Science, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC), a recurrent chronic colon inflammation, presents substantial therapeutic challenges due to the frequent adverse effects associated with conventional pharmacological treatments. These limitations underscore the critical need for developing alternative dietary interventions with improved safety profiles. The present study investigated the therapeutic potential of Enteromorpha prolifera soluble dietary fiber microparticles (EDFM) in UC management, focusing on restoring mucosal barrier integrity and modulating gut microbiota homeostasis. Methods: EDFM was fabricated through aqueous extraction of E. prolifera soluble dietary fiber via boiling followed by spray-drying. A mouse UC model was induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). The severity of UC was evaluated through daily disease activity index (DAI) scoring; quantification of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β) via ELISA; histopathological analysis of colon sections with H&E staining; immunofluorescence detection of tight junction proteins (ZO-1, occludin); and 16S rRNA sequencing for gut microbiota. Results: EDFM treatment significantly reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1β), enhanced the expression of tight junction proteins (ZO-1 and occludin), and stimulated mucin (MUC2) production. Additionally, EDFM promoted the proliferation of beneficial probiotics (Alloprevotella, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, and Ruminococcaceae_UCG-014,) while inhibiting pathogenic bacteria (Escherichia-Shigella, Parabacteroides, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, Odoribacter, and [Ruminococcus]_torques_group). Conclusion: EDFM supplementation significantly ameliorates UC through dual modulation of gut microbiota and intestinal barrier integrity, indicating its potential as a functional food ingredient for UC prevention and treatment.
Keywords: ：Entermorpha prolifera, dietary supplement, ulcerative colitis, Gut Microbiota, Gut barrier
Received: 20 Feb 2025; Accepted: 07 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ding, Tang, Tian, Zhang, Ding, Qi, Dong and Liu. 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:
Chen-Guang Liu, College of Marine Life Science, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
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