Dietary ellagic acid inhibiting gastrointestinal pathogens by modulation of microbiome-metabolite-immune axis

Antibiotic-induced depletion of the gut microbiota facilitated the colonization of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) in the gastrointestinal tract, and then increased patients' susceptibility to secondary infections. Ellagic acid, a major constituent of fruits and nuts, showed various bioactivities except for antibacterial. Interestingly, it promoted the recovery of gut microbiota, enhanced microbial diversity and stimulated the proliferation of probiotic gut microbes, and then ameliorated the overgrowth of pathogens in vivo in our experiment. Moreover, ellagic acid activated Gpr41 and Gpr43 mainly by promoting the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) such as acetic acid and propionic acid to inhibit the NF-ĸB signaling pathway. Then the dietary supplement with ellagic acid might treat infected gut to avoid antibiotic-associated intestinal diseases, and the finding also provided a novel strategy for exploring antibacterial agent besides screening in vitro.