Weilan gum oligosaccharide ameliorates dextran sulfate sodium-induced experimental ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a global disease, characterized by periods of relapse that seriously affects the quality of life of patients. Oligosaccharides are considered to be a prospective strategy to alleviate the symptoms of UC. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of weilan gum oligosaccharide (WLGO) on a mouse UC model induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). WLGO structural physical properties were characterized by electrospray mass spectrometry and fourier tansform infrared spectroscopy. MTT assays were performed to evaluate the non-toxic concentration of WLGO. RT-qPCR and ELISAs were conducted to determine the levels of inflammatory factors. The clinical symptoms and mucosal integrity of the DSS-induced UC model were assessed by DAI and histological assessment. LPS-induced Caco-2 cells and DSS-induced UC mice were used to explore the effects of WLGO on UC. Treatment of the mice with 4.48 g/kg/day WLGO via gavage for 7 days significantly relieved the symptoms of DSS-induced UC model mice, whereas significant effects were not observed for all symptoms of DSS-induced UC in the WLGO-low group. The disease activity index score was decreased and the loss of body weight was reduced in DSS-induced UC model mice treated with WLGO. Moreover, colonic damage and abnormally short colon length shortenings were relieved following WLGO treatment. WLGO treatment also reduced the concentration and mRNA expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1β, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor α, in DSS-induced UC model mice and lipopolysaccharide-treated Caco-2 cells. These results indicated that WLGO may be an effective strategy for UC treatment.