Curcumin Alleviates Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis in Mice Through Regulating Gut Microbiota

Curcumin is a natural polyphenol compound with multiple pharmacologic activities. The present study aims to explore the potential therapeutic properties of curcumin on intestinal inflammatory diseases, including its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic properties, as well as their associations with altered intestinal microbiome.

DSS, i.e., Dextran Sulfate Sodium, (3%) is administered to C57BL/6J mice in the drinking water daily for 6 days in DSS and curcumin groups. Then, mice in curcumin groups are orally administered with 50 or 150 mg kg^-1 curcumin for 7 days. On day 13, mice are sacrificed. Results show that oral administration with curcumin relieves macroscopic pathological manifestations, e.g., colon length and histological change. Moreover, it enhances intestinal barrier via increasing expression of tight junction proteins, e.g., occludin, ZO-1, claudin-3; alleviates DSS-induced intestinal apoptosis via suppressing caspase-3 pathway; mitigates intestinal inflammation via inhibiting the MAPK/NFκB/STAT3 pathway. It is also noticed that curcumin is beneficial for modulating abundance of some specific bacteria, including Akkermansia, Coprococcus, Roseburia, and Turicibacter, as well as families such as F16, Enterococcaceae, and Aerococcaceae. Most of the altered bacteria by curcumin are highly correlated with colitis-associated parameters.

Curcumin shows therapeutic potential against colitis. It may be served as an alternative medicine or adjuvant therapy in the treatment of colitis.