Short Chain Fatty Acid -butyrate Anti- IL-1 β Induced Intestinal Inflammation by Regulating the Intestinal Barrier Function Related Genes in Neonatal Mice

Authors

Brittany Davis, DePauw University

Files

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

Fall 10-2-2019

Abstract

Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) is a disease that causes excessive inflammatory necrosis within the intestines. It affects 10% of premature infants weighing under 1500 grams, and leads to increased morbidity and mortality, causing extensive expenditure of healthcare dollars. This disease triggers devastatingly painful symptoms within infants. Recent studies have shown that feeding infants breast milk rather than formula milk can help alleviate the painful inflammation of this disease.1 Moreover, supplementing a mother’s breast milk with probiotics has been shown to enhance this anti-inflammatory effect. Currently, the focus towards ameliorating NEC disease lies within determining the underlying mechanism of these findings. Seeing that short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are a metabolite of breast milk, and have proven to help decrease inflammation within extant literature,2 this study focuses on the anti-inflammatory effects of short chain fatty acid-butyrate within the intestines of neonatal mice. Specifically, we used quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) to explore the relationship between short chain fatty acid butyrate and intestinal barrier function genes. Intestinal genes were isolated and amplified from neonatal mice in order to perform gene analysis through transcription profiling. Preliminary results suggest potential relationships between anti-inflammatory effects of short chain fatty acid butyrate and increased expression of Olcn, Cldn4, Muc1, Muc2, Casp3, and Casp8 genes. If these findings can be replicated in human intestinal cells, further understanding gene regulation can ultimately provide more effective and efficient treatment to neonatal infants. [1] Gregory, K. E., Samuel, B. S., Houghteling, P., Shan, G., Ausubel, F. M., Sadreyev, R. I., & Walker, W. A. (2016, December 30). Influence of maternal breast milk ingestion on acquisition of the intestinal microbiome in preterm infants. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28034306 2 Meng D, Zhu W, Shi HN, Lu L, Wijendran V, Xu W, Walker WA. The toll-like receptor - 4 in human and mouse colonic epithelium is developmentally regulated: a possible role in necrotizing enterocolits. Pediatr Res; 77,416-24 (2015).

Department

Massachusetts General Hospital

Project Mentor

Dr. Di Meng, Dr. W. Allan Walker, Yanan Gao (PhD Candidate)

Funding and Acknowledgements

Funding: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH-NDDK)

Recommended Citation

Davis, Brittany, Yanan Gao, Di Meng, and W. Allan Walker. Short Chain Fatty Acid -butyrate Anti- IL-1 β Induced Intestinal Inflammation by Regulating the Intestinal Barrier Function Related Genes in Neonatal Mice." Poster presented at the DePauw University Science Research Fellows Poster Session, Greencastle, IN, October 2019.