1. Academic Validation
  2. Synergistic effect of lactoferrin and osteopontin on intestinal barrier injury

Synergistic effect of lactoferrin and osteopontin on intestinal barrier injury

  • Int J Biol Macromol. 2023 Oct 13;253(Pt 7):127416. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.127416.
Chuangang Li 1 Yanan Sun 2 Tingchao He 3 Yao Lu 4 Ignatius Man-Yau Szeto 5 Sufang Duan 3 Yifan Zhang 4 Biao Liu 6 Yiran Zhang 2 Wen Zhang 2 Jian He 7 Yixuan Li 8
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 College of Food Science & Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China; Key Laboratory of Functional Daily, Key Laboratory of Precision Nutrition and Food Quality, Department of Nutrition and Health, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
  • 2 Key Laboratory of Functional Daily, Key Laboratory of Precision Nutrition and Food Quality, Department of Nutrition and Health, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China.
  • 3 Inner Mongolia Dairy Technology Research Institute Co. Ltd., Hohhot 010110, China; Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group, Co. Ltd., Yili Maternal and Infant Nutrition Institute (YMINI), Beijing 100070, China.
  • 4 College of Food Science & Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China.
  • 5 Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group, Co. Ltd., Yili Maternal and Infant Nutrition Institute (YMINI), Beijing 100070, China; National Center of Technology Innovation for Dairy, Hohhot 010110, China.
  • 6 College of Food Science & Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China; Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group, Co. Ltd., Yili Maternal and Infant Nutrition Institute (YMINI), Beijing 100070, China.
  • 7 National Center of Technology Innovation for Dairy, Hohhot 010110, China.
  • 8 Key Laboratory of Functional Daily, Key Laboratory of Precision Nutrition and Food Quality, Department of Nutrition and Health, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China. Electronic address: liyixuan@cau.edu.cn.
Abstract

Several studies indicate that the disruption of the intestinal epithelial barrier can lead to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Recent evidence has increasingly demonstrated that lactoferrin (LF) and osteopontin (OPN) can alleviate intestinal barrier injury. However, the potential synergistic effects of these two proteins and the mechanisms underlying their effects remain unclear. To address this question, we developed a lipopolysaccharide-induced intestinal barrier injury model in C57BL/6 N mice. Our findings demonstrated that the combination of LF and OPN at a 1:5 ratio exerts the strongest protective effect on the intestinal barrier, and it is more effective than LF or OPN alone. This protection is evidenced by the decrease in serum diamine oxidase (DAO) activity (1.66-fold decrease) and D-lactic content (1.51-fold decrease) and the reduced rate of FITC-labeled glucan transport across the jejunum (3.18-fold decrease). Moreover, the protein combination significantly promoted villi length (1.66-fold increase) and crypt depth (1.57-fold increase), improved tight junction protein structure and expression, and boosted the number of absorptive cells (4.34-fold increase) in the intestinal epithelium. Furthermore, the combination promoted crypt cell proliferation and differentiation via Notch signaling. In summary, our findings provide scientific evidence supporting the use of dietary intervention strategies for preventing IBD.

Keywords

Intestinal barrier injury; Lactoferrin; Osteopontin.

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