Effects of dietary phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin on DSS-induced colitis by regulating metabolism and gut microbiota in mice

Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases tend to show alteration of lipid profiles. It remains unknown whether dietary intake with specific lipids, such as phosphatidylcholine (PC) and sphingomyelin (SM), have distinguishable effects against IBD. Here, a preclinical study using dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mice model was applied to explore/compare the effects by PC, and SM. Results showed that PC treatment (p.o., 30 mg/kg b.w., 15 d) exerted higher inhibitory activity than the same dosage of SM supplementation on colonic tissue lesions and pro-inflammatory cytokines expressions induced by DSS. Integrative analysis of the metabolome and microbiome indicated that PC and SM supplementation could modulate endogenous tryptophan metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, purine metabolism, bile secretion, as well as vitamin digestion and absorption, closely correlated with their regulation on the abundance of Lactobacillus, Faecalibacterium, Dubosiella, Turicibacter, and Parasutterella communities in the gut. Based on these data, PC is a more promising candidate for preventing colitis than SM. Our findings provided a scientific foundation for further clinical research to screen more efficient dietary intervention strategy for colitis prevention.