Plant green pigment of chlorophyllin attenuates inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) by suppressing autophagy activation in mice

Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2022 May 31. doi: 10.1152/ajpgi.00291.2021. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are intestinal complications characterized as chronic inflammation, autophagy abnormality and lysosomal stress, which are derived from genetic predisposition and environmental risk factors. It is generally precepted that dietary green vegetable is beneficial for physiological homeostasis. In this study, we found that dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) induced colitis and altered intestinal epithelia in mice, were attenuated by oral administration of chlorophyllin (CHL), a water soluble derivate of chlorophyll. In DSS treated mice, autophagy was persistently activated in intestinal tissues and associated with bowel disorders. Conversely, supplement of CHL in diet or gavage suppressed intestinal inflammation, down-regulated autophagy flux in intestinal tissue, and relived endoplasmic reticulum stress. In vitro studies show that CHL could activate Akt and mTOR pathways, leading to down-regulation of autophagic and lysosomal flux. Thus, consumption of green vegetable and chlorophyllin may be beneficial for IBD recovery in part through alleviation of inflammation and auto-lysosomal flux.

PMID:35638642 | DOI:10.1152/ajpgi.00291.2021