Uridine inhibits the stemness of intestinal stem cells in 3D intestinal organoids and mice

The activity of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) is foremost in maintaining homeostasis and repair of intestines. As a pivotal substrate of RNA and DNA biosynthesis, uridine plays essential roles in nutritional and disease monitoring. Whether uridine influences ISC activity remains undefined. To answer this question, 3-dimensional (3D) mouse intestinal organoids and living mice were used as a model. It was found that uridine causes a significant decrease in the number of crypts per intestinal organoid. Uridine also significantly decreases mRNA expression and protein levels with markers of ISCs in intestinal organoids in a dose-dependent manner, which was instructed via mTOR. In parallel, uridine decreases the expression of marker of ISCs in mouse intestine in vivo. Our findings are the first to demonstrate that uridine is able to govern the functions of ISCs in intestinal organoid and mouse models. Thus, this study may provide a useful reference for developing novel functional food bioactives that maintain intestinal homeostasis.