**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** PLANT FOODS CONTAINING ANTHOCYANINS AND FIBER CAN AMELIORATE GUT BACTERIAL DYSBIOSIS THAT PROMOTES ULCERATIVE COLITIS AND OTHER CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. WE AND OTHERS HAVE REPORTED THAT THE ANTI-COLITIC EFFECTS OF ANTHOCYANINS AND FIBER ARE DEPENDENT ON GUT BACTERIA AND THE ASSOCIATED FOOD MATRIX. INDEED, ISOLATED ANTHOCYANINS WITH LOW STABILITY AGAINST UPPER GASTROINTESTINAL DIGESTION AND DEVOID OF FOOD MATRIX WERE NOT AS EFFECTIVE AS ANTHOCYANIN-CONTAINING FOODS. WE SHOWED THAT ENHANCING THE COMPLEXATION BETWEEN INHERENT BLUEBERRY ANTHOCYANINS AND PECTIN THROUGH MICROENCAPSULATION WHILE MAINTAINING THE FOOD MATRIX (BAPC) IMPROVES THE STABILITY AND COLONIC AVAILABILITY OF ANTHOCYANINS COMPARED TO WHOLE BLUEBERRIES. HOWEVER, THERE REMAINS A CONSIDERABLE KNOWLEDGE GAP IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE OF BAPC IN RESISTING GUT BACTERIAL DYSBIOSIS AND THE ROLE OF SEVERITY OF COLITIS-ASSOCIATED MICROBIOTA VARIATION IN MEDIATING THE ANTI-COLITIC EFFECTS OF BAPC. WE WILL ADDRESS THIS GAP BY EVALUATING THE ANTI-COLITIC EFFICACY OF BAPC USING GNOTOBIOTIC MICE COLONIZED WITH MICROBIOTA FROM HEALTHY AND SEVERE COLITIS PATIENTS. ACCORDING TO A1343-PROGRAM PRIORITIES, WE PROPOSE TO DETERMINE(1) THE EFFECTIVE DOSE OF BAPC THAT SUPPRESSES COLITIS USING IL-10 KO GERM-FREE MICE COLONIZED WITH POOLED GUT MICROBIOTA FROM COLITIS PATIENTS WITH 500-750ΜG/G FECAL CALPROTECTIN LEVELS.(2) THE EXTENT TO WHICH BAPC CAN RESIST/REVERSE THE DYSBIOSIS AND COLITIS USING IL-10 KO GERM-FREE MICE COLONIZED WITH GUT BACTERIA FROM HEALTHY/COLITIS PATIENTS WITH THREE FECAL CALPROTECTIN LEVELS (500-750; 1000-1500; ≥2000 ΜG/G).THIS PROJECT WILL DELINEATE THE PROTECTIVE ROLE OF BAPC IN RESISTING BACTERIAL DYSBIOSIS AND THE ROLE OF COLITIS-ASSOCIATED GUT-BACTERIAL DYSBIOSIS ON BAPC ANTI-COLITIC PROPERTIES.

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators