Published online Aug 14, 2019. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v25.i30.4181
Peer-review started: April 30, 2019
First decision: May 30, 2019
Revised: June 12, 2019
Accepted: July 5, 2019
Article in press: July 5, 2019
Published online: August 14, 2019
Processing time: 106 Days and 18.8 Hours
Acute and chronic colitis affect a huge proportion of the population world-wide. The etiology of colitis cases can be manifold, and diet can significantly affect onset and outcome of colitis. While many forms of acute colitis are easily treatable, chronic forms of colitis such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease (summarized as inflammatory bowel diseases) are multifactorial with poorly understood pathogenesis. Inflammatory bowel diseases are characterized by exacerbated immune responses causing epithelial dysfunction and bacterial translocation. There is no cure and therapies aim at reducing inflammation and restoring intestinal barrier function. Unfortunately, most drugs can have severe side effects. Changes in diet and inclusion of nutritional supplements have been extensively studied in cell culture and animal models, and some supplements have shown promising results in clinical studies. Most of these nutritional supplements including vitamins, fatty acids and phytochemicals reduce oxidative stress and inflammation and have shown beneficial effects during experimental colitis in rodents induced by dextran sulphate sodium or 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid, which remain the gold standard in pre-clinical colitis research. Here, we summarize the mechanisms through which such nutritional supplements contribute to epithelial barrier stabilization.
Core tip: This review summarizes current knowledge on how nutritional supplements with anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties such as vitamins, fatty acids and phytochemicals contribute to intestinal epithelial junction stabilization and maintenance of barrier integrity during experimental colitis.