Supplementation of Low- and High-fat Diets with Fermentable Fiber Exacerbates Severity of DSS-induced Acute Colitis

• Published in: Inflammatory bowel diseases Vol. 23; no. 7; pp. 1133 - 1143
• Main Authors: Miles, Jennifer P, Zou, Jun, Kumar, Matam-Vijay, Pellizzon, Michael, Ulman, Edward, Ricci, Matthew, Gewirtz, Andrew T, Chassaing, Benoit
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.07.2017
• Subjects: Animals; Colitis - chemically induced; Colitis - pathology; Dextran Sulfate - toxicity; Diet, Fat-Restricted; Diet, High-Fat; Dietary Fiber - administration & dosage; Dietary Supplements; Fermentation; Inflammation - chemically induced; Inflammation - pathology; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Weight Loss
• ISSN: 1078-0998; 1536-4844
• DOI: 10.1097/MIB.0000000000001155

Lack of dietary fiber has been suggested to increase the risk of developing various chronic inflammatory diseases, whereas supplementation of diets with fiber might offer an array of health-promoting benefits. Consistent with this theme, we recently reported that in mice, compositionally defined diets that are made with purified ingredients and lack fermentable fiber promote low-grade inflammation and metabolic syndrome, both of which could be ameliorated by supplementation of such diets with the fermentable fiber inulin. Herein, we examined if, relative to a grain-based mouse diet (chow), compositionally defined diet consumption would impact development of intestinal inflammation induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) and moreover, whether DSS-induced colitis might also be attenuated by diets supplemented with inulin. Analogous to their promotion of low-grade inflammation, compositionally defined diet of high- and low-fat content with cellulose increased the severity of DSS-induced colitis relative to chow. However, in contrast to the case of low-grade inflammation, addition of inulin, but not the insoluble fiber cellulose, further exacerbated the severity of colitis and its associated clinical manifestations (weight loss and bleeding) in both low- and high-fat diets. While inulin, and perhaps other fermentable fibers, can ameliorate low-grade inflammation and associated metabolic disease, it also has the potential to exacerbate disease severity in response to inducers of acute colitis.