Effects of choline supplementation on liver biology, gut microbiota, and inflammation in Helicobacter pylori-infected mice
Shu Lia Life Sciences Volume 259, 15 October 2020, 118200
Highlights
• Choline may help inhibit hepatic fat accumulation, but it could impair the liver function to some extent.
• Choline aggravated the inflammation in response to H. pylori infection.
• Choline reduced the abundance of Helicobacter and elevated the content of Escherichia_Shigella in H. pylori-infected mice.
• Choline may affect the inflammation caused by H. pylori infection through gut microbes.
Aims
Diet is one of the factors affecting the pathogenicity of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. Choline is a dietary component that is crucial for normal cellular function. However, choline intake imbalance can lead to liver injury, inflammation, and changes of the gut microbiota composition. The study aimed to explore the effects of choline supplementation on liver biology, gut microbiota, and inflammation in H. pylori-infected mice.
Main methods
Liver function was detected by biochemical and histopathological analysis. Serum inflammatory markers were measured using ELISA. Fecal microbial profiles were determined via 16S rRNA sequencing.
Key findings
The results showed that choline supplementation decreased serum LDL level, while increased the activities of serum AST and ALT in normal BALB/c mice. Besides, choline also reduced hepatic SOD and GSH-Px activities, and elevated hepatic MDA level of H. pylori-infected mice. Moreover, choline markedly enhanced the concentrations of inflammatory factors including LPS, CRP, IL-6, TNF-α, and CXCL1 in H. pylori-infected mice. Meanwhile, choline and H. pylori cotreatment altered the richness and diversity of the mice gut microbiota, and increased the relative abundance of Escherichia_Shigella, which had a significant positive correlation with the levels of LPS, CRP, IL-6, TNF-α and CXCL1.
Significance
Our data suggest, for the first time, that choline can aggravate H. pylori-induced inflammation, which may be associated with the alterations of gut microbiota. This study may provide novel insights into the possible effects of food-derived choline on H. pylori infection-related diseases.