FUNCTIONAL FOODS CONTAINING PEPTIDES FROM AMARANTH AMELIORATE INTESTINAL INFLAMMATION

QUEREDA MICAELA; CHAVERO CAMILA; BIANCHI DAIANA; ORSINI DELGADO MARIA LUCIA; QUIROGA ALEJANDRA; AÑON MARIA CRISTINA; DOCENA GUILLERMO; SMALDINI, PAOLA LORENA

Congreso; Sociedad Argentina de Inmunología; 2023

Sociedad Argentina de Inmunología

Amaranth is a pseudocereal with a high content of proteins with good nutritional and health quality (antihypertensive, antioxidant, antithrombotic and antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory effects). Intestinal inflammation is characterized by epithelial disruption, leading to loss of barrier function and the recruitment of immune cells. Recently, it has become apparent that the transporter PepT1 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of such inflammation. In healthy individuals, PepT1 is primarily expressed in the small intestine to transport peptides for metabolic purposes. However, during chronic inflammation PepT1 expression is upregulated in the colon. We aimed to evaluate whether the use of a functional food of amaranth (FF) or an amaranth peptide (AP) modulate intestinal inflammation and PepT1 expression. To evaluate PepT1 expression under inflammatory conditions in vitro, we stimulated the Caco-2 cell line with proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α or IL-1β plus flagellin), and also evaluated its expression in colon biopsies from inflamed and non-inflamed areas of IBD patients by quantitative PCR. Then, colitis was induced in Balb/c mice with an intrarectal administration of TNBS in ethanol on day 0. Thereafter, mice were orally given every day for a week a formulation containing an AP, FF or FF+AP. As controls, mice received PBS or ETOH. Corporal weight and disease activity index were monitored and on day 7 mice were sacrificed. The colonic inflammatory response was analyzed (weight, length, histology, gene expression by qPCR).In vitro experiments showed higher PepT1 transcript level with proinflammatory stimuli than controls (p