Dietary proanthocyanidins promote localized antioxidant responses in porcine pulmonary and gastrointestinal tissues during Ascaris suum-induced type 2 inflammation

Audrey Inge Schytz Andersen-Civil, Laura J. Myhill, Nilay Büdeyri Gökgöz, Marica T. Engström, Helena Mejer, Ling Zhu, Wayne E. Zeller, Juha Pekka Salminen, Lukasz Krych, Charlotte Lauridsen, Dennis S. Nielsen, Stig M. Thamsborg, Andrew R. Williams*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

Proanthocyanidins (PAC) are dietary polyphenols with putative anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. However, whether dietary PAC can regulate type-2 immune function and inflammation at mucosal surfaces remains unclear. Here, we investigated if diets supplemented with purified PAC modulated pulmonary and intestinal mucosal immune responses during infection with the helminth parasite Ascaris suum in pigs. A. suum infection induced a type-2 biased immune response in lung and intestinal tissues, characterized by pulmonary granulocytosis, increased Th2/Th1 T cell ratios in tracheal-bronchial lymph nodes, intestinal eosinophilia, and modulation of genes involved in mucosal barrier function and immunity. Whilst PAC had only minor effects on pulmonary immune responses, RNA-sequencing of intestinal tissues revealed that dietary PAC significantly enhanced transcriptional responses related to immune function and antioxidant responses in the gut of both naïve and A. suum-infected animals. A. suum infection and dietary PAC induced distinct changes in gut microbiota composition, primarily in the jejunum and colon, respectively. Notably, PAC consumption substantially increased the abundance of Limosilactobacillus reuteri. In vitro experiments with porcine macrophages and intestinal epithelial cells supported a role for both PAC polymers and PAC-derived microbial metabolites in regulating oxidative stress responses in host tissues. Thus, dietary PAC may have distinct beneficial effects on intestinal health during infection with mucosal pathogens, while having a limited activity to modulate naturally-induced type-2 pulmonary inflammation. Our results shed further light on the mechanisms underlying the health-promoting properties of PAC-rich foods, and may aid in the design of novel dietary supplements to regulate mucosal inflammatory responses in the gastrointestinal tract.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere22256
JournalFASEB Journal
Volume36
Issue number4
ISSN0892-6638
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. The FASEB Journal published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

Keywords

  • Ascaris suum
  • gut microbiota
  • helminth
  • pig
  • polyphenols
  • proanthocyandins

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