Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2025
Assessing Whole-Body Lipid-Handling Capacity in Mice
Published on: November 24, 2020
A Physiologically Relevant Dose of 50% Egg-Phosphatidylcholine Is Sufficient in Improving Gut Permeability while
Tianna Rusnak1, Jessy Azarcoya-Barrera1, Bethany Wollin1
1Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Background:
Obesity is associated with increased intestinal permeability and a diminished immune response. Phosphatidylcholine (PC), a form of choline found in eggs, has been shown to beneficially modulate T-cell response in the context of obesity when provided as the sole form of choline in the diet.
Objective:
This study aimed to determine the impact of varying doses of PC as part of a high-fat diet (HFD) on immune cell function and intestinal permeability.
Methods:
Male Wistar rats 4 wk of age were randomly assigned to consume 1 of 6 diets for 12 wk containing the same amount of total choline but differing in the forms of choline: 1-control low-fat (CLF, 20% fat, 100% free choline [FC]); 2-control high-fat (CHF, 50% fat, 100% FC); 3-100% PC (100PC, 50% fat, 100% egg-PC); 4-75% PC (75PC, 50% fat, 75% egg-PC+25% FC); 5-50% PC (50PC, 50% fat, 50% egg-PC+50% FC); and 6-25% PC (25PC; 50% fat, 25% egg-PC+75% FC). Intestinal permeability was measured by fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran. Immune function was assessed by ex vivo cytokine production of splenocytes and cells isolated from the mesenteric lymph node (MLN) after stimulation with different mitogens.
Results:
Feeding the CHF diet increased intestinal permeability compared with the CLF diet, and doses of PC 50% or greater returned permeability to levels similar to that of the CLF diet. Feeding the CHF diet lowered splenocyte production of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and MLN production of IL-2 compared with the CLF group. The 50PC diet most consistently significantly improved cytokine levels (IL-2, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-alpha) compared with the CHF diet.
Conclusions:
Our results show that a dose of 50% of total choline derived from egg-PC can ameliorate HFD-induced intestinal permeability and immune cell dysfunction.
