Abstract
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory disease. Here, the potential effects of Capparis spinosa water extract (CSWE) on colonic histopathology, inflammation, and gut microbiota composition in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) induced UC mice were evaluated. Our results showed that CSWE treatment improved the colonic histopathology of UC mice, increased the levels of tight junction protein gene ZO-1 and Occludin in intestinal epithelial cells, and inhibited the expression of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α). Furthermore, CSWE administration alleviated oxidative stress in the colon of UC mice. The effects of CSWE on the compositions and metabolomic profiles of the gut microbiota in UC mice were investigated. It was found that CSWE could enhance the diversity of gut microbes and the abundance of probiotics and metabonomics had the strongest association with Firmicutes. Our results indicated that CSWE might be an ideal candidate as a potential therapeutic natural product for the treatment of UC.