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Nutritional Immunology and Inflammation/Immunometabolism (Poster Session)

(P14-025-24) Protective Effects of Pomegranate Extracts and Metabolites on Colitis: Insights From an IL-10 Knockout Mouse Model

Sunday, June 30, 2024
12:45 PM – 1:45 PM CT
Location: Poster Board 494

    Presenting Author(s)

  • MV

    Mario Vega, PhD

    Research Associate
    University of California, Los Angeles
    Los angeles, California, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • JY

    Jieping Yang, PhD

    University of California, Los Angeles
    Los Angeles, California, United States

  • PG

    Patrizia Maria Germano, Dr

    Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
    Los angeles, California, United States

  • SO

    Suwan Oh, PhD

    Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System
    Los Angeles, California, United States

  • RL

    Ru-Po Lee, MS

    Department of Medicine, Center for Human Nutrition, David Geffen School of Medicine
    Los Angeles, California, United States

  • MT

    Meileen Taw

    University of California, Los Angeles
    Los angeles, California, United States

  • Zhaoping Li, MD, PhD (she/her/hers)

    Professor
    Center for Human Nutrition, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
    Los Angeles, California, United States

Disclosure(s):
Mario Vega, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.


Objectives: Our objective was to assess the effect of dietary supplementation with pomegranate extract (PomX), ellagic acid (EA) and its metabolites; urolithins A and B (UA and UB) in a colitis model usingIL-10-deficient (IL10-/-) mice fed a high-fat, high-sucrose diet (HFHS).

Methods: 9–10-week-old IL-10−/− mice were randomly assigned to receive either a HFHS diet, or HFHS diet supplemented with pomegranate extract (PomX), UA, UB or EA respectively for 10 weeks.

Results: After 8 weeks of PomX and UA, but not EA and UB supplementation, significant reductions in weight loss and spleen size were observed compared to the HFHS control (p < 0.05). Furthermore, PomX an UA supplementations led to significant reduction in the histological colitis score compared to HFHS control (PomX: 1.38± 0.3; UA: 1.38± 0.2; HFHS: 3.5± 0.7). Biweekly fecal lipocalin-2 (LCN2) evaluation showed that LCN2 levels were significant lower in PomX and UA groups compared to HFHS group after 4 weeks dietary supplementation (pg/ml) (PomX: 838.09±98.5; UA: 1201.09±87.3; HFHS:1322.5±97.2) but were similar to control HFHS after 6 weeks. Serum LCN2 levels at the end of the experiment (10 weeks) was significant lower in PomX and UA compared with HFHS (PomX: 184.35 ±23.3; UA:96.44±17.2; HFHS: 445.14±26.3).

Conclusions: These results demonstrate that dietary supplemented with UA and PomX, but not EA and UB, decreased colitis in HFHS-fed IL-10−/− mice. which spontaneously develop colitis. These data support previous findings indicating the anti-inflammatory potential of PomX, particularly its UA metabolite. The observed colitis reducing effects of PomX but not EA suggest a potential role of the gut microbiome. Therefore, clinical studies are necessary to explore the potential role of PomX and UA as a dietary supplement in patients with colitis.

Funding Sources: This project is supported by Crohn's & Colitis Foundation #674996, VA Merit BX-21-001. VA Health Services Research and Career Development 1/01BX005796-01