Protects the Intestinal Epithelium and Mitigates Inflammation in Colitis via Regulating the Gut Microbiota-Cholic Acid Pathway.

In this study, we aimed to explore the protective effects of in colitis mice and the potential mechanisms. Results showed that () effectively colonized the intestinal tract and alleviated colitis symptoms by reducing the disease activity index. Moreover, mitigated intestinal epithelial cell damage, inhibited the pro-inflammatory factors, and upregulated tight junction (TJ)-proteins. Gut microbiota and metabolome analysis found that boosted bile acid-regulating genera (such as and 1), which promoted bile acid deconjugation in the intestine. Notably, cholic acid (CA) was closely associated with the expression levels of inflammatory factors and TJ-proteins ( < 0.05). Our in vitro cell experiments further confirmed that CA (20.24 ± 4.53 pg/mL) contributed to the inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor-α expression (49.32 ± 5.27 pg/mL) and enhanced the expression of TJ-proteins (Occludin and Claudin-1) and MUC2. This study suggested that could be a probiotic candidate for use in infant foods.