Plum Prevents Intestinal and Hepatic Inflammation in the Acute and Chronic Models of Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Mouse Colitis

Scope: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis (UC), is a chronic recurrent inflammatory disease of the digestive tract and increases the risk of colon cancer. Method and Results: This study evaluates the effects of dietary intervention with freeze-dried plum (FDP), a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory fruit with no toxicity on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced acute and chronic experimental colitis in a mouse model and studies the molecular mechanisms of protection through the gut–liver axis. The results show that FDP decreases the levels of inflammatory mediators, which is a nitrative stress biomarker in both acute and chronic models. FDP markedly reduces DSS-induced injury to the colonic epithelium in both acute and chronic models. In addition, FDP significantly decreases the levels of pro-oxidant markers such as CYP2E1, iNOS, and nitrated proteins (detected by anti-3-NT antibody) in DSS-induced acute and chronic colonic injury models. Furthermore, FDP markedly reduces markers of liver injury such as serum ALT/AST, antioxidant markers, and inflammatory mediators in DSS-induced acute and chronic colonic injury. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that the FDP exhibits a protective effect on DSS-induced acute and chronic colonic and liver injury through the gut–liver axis via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.