Modulation of mucosal immunity and enteric pathogens by dietary compounds

PhD student: PhD Ling Zhu
Email: ling.zhu@sund.ku.dk

BACKGROUND 

Enteric pathogens infect more than one billion people, as well as livestock all over the world, and cause diarrhea, chronic inflammation and ill health, and even death. Due to rising antimicrobial resistance, promoting gut health by dietary phytonutrients is receiving increasing interests for their potential as treatments and/or preventive options for inflammatory diseases, metabolic dysfunction, cancer, and infections. In particular, Cinnamaldehyde (CA) and propyl-propane thiosulfonate and propyl-propane thiosulfinate (PTSO-PTS) are bioactive compounds with anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties from cinnamon and garlic, respectively. However, the mucosal immune responses regulated by CA and PTSO-PTS are not fully understood, and their activities against enteric pathogens still need to be investigated.

PURPOSE  

The aim of this project was to explore the immunoregulatory mechanism of CA and PTSO-PTS in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, the interplay of dietary compounds and the gut microbiota was studied, as well as responses on enteric parasites and bacteria. 

RESULTS

This study confirmed the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties of CA, and suggested a possible interaction between dietary CA, helminth infection, and the gut immune system, which might play a role in immunoregulation. And PTSO-PTS also showed the ability of anti-inflammation and metabolic regulation as well as potential ability for reducing anti-oxidative stress in the gut through Nrf2 signaling, and modulation of commensal microbiota composition. Besides, PTS-PTSO developed anti-intestinal bacteria ability which was likely related to Nrf2 signaling.