title: High beta-palmitate fat controls the intestinal inflammatory response and limits intestinal damage in mucin Muc2 deficient mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Palmitic-acid esterified to the sn-1,3 positions of the glycerol backbone (alpha, alpha'-palmitate), the predominant palmitate conformation in regular infant formula fat, is poorly absorbed and might cause abdominal discomfort. In contrast, palmitic-acid esterified to the sn-2 position (beta-palmitate), the main palmitate conformation in human milk fat, is well absorbed. The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of high alpha, alpha'-palmitate fat (HAPF) diet and high beta-palmitate fat (HBPF) diet on colitis development in Muc2 deficient (Muc2(-/-)) mice, a well-described animal model for spontaneous enterocolitis due to the lack of a protective mucus layer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Muc2(-/-) mice received AIN-93G reference diet, HAPF diet or HBPF diet for 5 weeks after weaning. Clinical symptoms, intestinal morphology and inflammation in the distal colon were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both HBPF diet and AIN-93G diet limited the extent of intestinal erosions and morphological damage in Muc2(-/-) mice compared with HAPF diet. In addition, the immunosuppressive regulatory T (Treg) cell response as demonstrated by the up-regulation of Foxp3, Tgfb1 and Ebi3 gene expression levels was enhanced by HBPF diet compared with AIN-93G and HAPF diets. HBPF diet also increased the gene expression of Pparg and enzymatic antioxidants (Sod1, Sod3 and Gpx1), genes all reported to be involved in promoting an immunosuppressive Treg cell response and to protect against colitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows for the first time that HBPF diet limits the intestinal mucosal damage and controls the inflammatory response in Muc2(-/-) mice by inducing an immunosuppressive Treg cell response.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC-Sophia, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Fabiana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bar-Yoseph
authors.forename: Liora
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Levi
authors.forename: Yael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lifshitz
authors.forename: Janneke
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Witte-Bouma
authors.forename: Adrianus C J M
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: de Bruijn
authors.forename: Anita M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Korteland-van Male
authors.forename: Johannes B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: van Goudoever
authors.forename: Ingrid B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Renes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003092:Colitis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D059305:Diet, High-Fat / Q000379:methods*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D006652:Histological Techniques; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D055262:Mucin-2 / Q000172:deficiency*; D010168:Palmitates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; C524626:Muc2 protein, mouse; D055262:Mucin-2; D010168:Palmitates