Protective effects of insoluble dietary fiber from cereal bran against DSS-induced chronic colitis in mice: From inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, intestinal barrier, and gut microbiota

Insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) is a crucial component of cereals, and IDF from cereal bran (IDF-CB) has been reported to have multiple biological activities. However, the effect of IDF-CB on chronic colitis remains under- explored. The study aimed to investigate the impact of IDFs from wheat bran (WBIDF), rice bran (RBIDF), millet bran (MBIDF) and oat bran (OBIDF) on chronic colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). Our findings demonstrated that IDFs-CB supplementation mitigated DSS-induced weight loss and reduced lesions in the colon and spleen. Levels of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha) and oxidative stress markers (MPO, iNOS and MDA)were decreased, and anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) and T-SOD activity were increased after IDF-CB inclusion. Furthermore, IDFs-CB restored intestinal barrier function by regulating gene expression (up-regulated Muc-2, ZO-1 and Occludin, and down-regulated Claudin-1 and Claudin-4). Additionally, we analyzed the gut microbiota and SCFAs composition. WBIDF, MBIDF and OBIDF inhibited the growth of Muribaculaceae_unclassified, Bacteroides and Parasutterella. Conversely, IDFs-CB promoted the growth of Candidatus_Saccharimonas and norank_f__norank_o__Clostridia_UCG-014. Notably, WBIDF enhanced the abundance of Allobaculum, while MBIDF and OBIDF increased the abundance of Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136. Moreover, supplementation with IDFs-CB significantly elevated certain SCFA concentrations-particularly acetic acid and isohexanoic acid. Our results suggested that IDF-CB effectively alleviated DSS-induced chronic colitis; among them,WBIDF exhibited superior efficacy followed by OBIDF,MBIDF,and RBIDF. This study provides a theoretical foundation for dietary recommendations for patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease.