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The Role of β-Carotene in Colonic Inflammation and Intestinal Barrier Integrity

Background: Carotenoids are naturally occurring pigments accounting for the brilliant colors of fruits and vegetables. They may display antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in humans besides being precursors to vitamin A. There is a gap of knowledge in examining their role within colonic epi...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Cheng, Junrui, Balbuena, Emilio, Miller, Baxter, Eroglu, Abdulkerim
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8502815/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34646849
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.723480
Descripción
Sumario:Background: Carotenoids are naturally occurring pigments accounting for the brilliant colors of fruits and vegetables. They may display antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in humans besides being precursors to vitamin A. There is a gap of knowledge in examining their role within colonic epithelial cells. We proposed to address this research gap by examining the effects of a major dietary carotenoid, β-carotene, in the in vitro epithelial cell model. Methods: We examined the function of β-carotene in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway. We conducted western blotting assays to evaluate expressions of TLR4 and its co-receptor, CD14. We also examined NF-κB p65 subunit protein levels in the model system. Furthermore, we studied the impact of β-carotene on the tight junction proteins, claudin-1, and occludin. We further carried out immunocytochemistry experiments to detect and visualize claudin-1 expression. Results: β-Carotene reduced LPS-induced intestinal inflammation in colonic epithelial cells. β-Carotene also promoted the levels of tight junction proteins, which might lead to enhanced barrier function. Conclusions: β-Carotene could play a role in modulating the LPS-induced TLR4 signaling pathway and in enhancing tight junction proteins. The findings will shed light on the role of β-carotene in colonic inflammation and also potentially in metabolic disorders since higher levels of LPS might induce features of metabolic diseases.