Influence of dietary blueberry & broccoli on cecal microbiota activity and colon marphology in mdr1a(-/-) mice, a model of inflammatory bowel diseases

08 février 2012

The enteric microbiota has been associated with various pathological conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study aimed to determine the anti-inflammatory effect of blueberry and broccoli in mice by a change in the composition of the microbiota in the gastrointestinal tract.

The mice were fed for 21 weeks either with a control diet or with the control diet supplemented with 10% of broccoli or blueberries. We studied the influence of these diets on caecal microflora, organic acids, the morphology of the colon, and bacterial translocation to mesenteric lymph nodes.

Compared with the mice fed with the control diet, blueberries and broccoli supplementation similarly modified the cecum microbiota, except for Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, which was found in significantly lower amount in the group fed with broccoli. High concentrations of butyric acid and low concentrations of succinic acid were observed in the cecum of the group fed with broccoli.

The supplementation with blueberries and broccoli increased the size of the colon crypt and the number of goblet cells per crypt. Only the broccoli supplementation significantly reduced the inflammation of the colon compared with the mice fed with the control diet. The translocation of the total microbes to mesenteric lymph nodes was lower in the group fed with broccoli than that of blueberry and the control group.

A diet containing blueberry and / or broccoli changes the composition and metabolism of the cecal microbiota and the morphology of the colon. Overall, these results warrant further investigation in clinical studies to determine whether the consumption of blueberries and / or broccoli is able to modify the composition and metabolism of the microbiota of the large intestine and promote colon health in humans.