H₂S alleviates fear condition-induced exacerbated colitis by promoting IgA production

The impact of psychological stress on colitis and the alleviating effects of H₂S on colitis have been partially explored. However, the effects of panic on colitis and whether H₂S can mitigate colitis exacerbated by psychological stress remain unclear.

This study aims to investigate whether fear condition exacerbates colitis and its underlying mechanisms, as well as whether H₂S can alleviate colitis aggravated by psychological stress and the specific mechanisms involved.

We conducted fear condition modeling in DSS-induced colitis mice to examine whether fear condition exacerbates colitis and whether H₂S administration can alleviate the exacerbated colitis caused by fear condition. Colonic tissues from different groups of mice were subjected to RNA-seq analysis to explore potential mechanisms. Based on changes in IgA levels, we assessed alterations in IgA-coated bacteria within the gut microbiota of the different groups. Using Rag1^-/- mice, we further validated the relationship between H₂S, IgA, and colitis. Additionally, we knocked down AID expression in B cells to investigate whether H₂S affects IgA production through AID. Finally, we tested whether H₂S-mediated promotion of IgA also provides anti-infective effects in Citrobacter rodentium infection.

We found that H₂S alleviates fear condition exacerbated colitis by promoting IgA production and modulating the gut microbiota. The promotion of IgA production by H₂S in B cells is AID-dependent. Furthermore, H₂S-mediated IgA enhancement also exhibits anti-infective effects.

H₂S can alleviate colitis exacerbated by fear conditioning and exert anti-infective effects by promoting IgA production in B cells.