Sodium carboxymethylcellulose disrupts intestinal cell homeostasis by repressing Notch signaling in Drosophila

Sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), a cellulose derivative, is mainly used in food industry as additives. However, its supplementation has potentially negative effects on organisms. In this study, the effects of CMC on the physiological parameters and intestinal homeostasis in organisms were investigated using Drosophila melanogaster as a model. The results show that CMC did not affect survival and fecundity in flies at three detected concentrations. The puc activity analysis revealed that the CMC did not induce apoptosis in adult midgut. In adults treated with 5 % CMC, the midgut contained fewer progenitor cells and showed reduced mitosis compared to control flies. In addition, an increased enteroendocrine (EE) cells ratio was observed in midgut of 5 % CMC-fed flies. The RT-qPCR results revealed that notch expression was downregulated in 5 % CMC-fed flies, whereas no significant differences in mRNA expression levels were found for genes involved in midgut development. Consistently, the number of Notch positive clones was reduced in flies treated with 5 % CMC compared to controls. Taken together, our results suggest that CMC disrupts intestinal cell homeostasis by repressing Notch signaling. These findings provide a new perspective on the effects of CMC on organisms.