A high cholesterol diet aggravates experimental colitis through SREBP2‐modulated endocytosis and degradation of occludin and Zo‐1 proteins

Disrupted cholesterol homeostasis plays a critical role in the development of multiple diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. However, the role of cholesterol in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated whether and how high levels of cholesterol in the diet affect experimental colitis in mice. A normal diet supplemented with 1.25% cholesterol (high cholesterol diet) caused more severe colitis and aggravated the disruption of intestinal tight junction structure, accompanied by higher colonic tissue total cholesterol (TC) levels in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced experimental colitis mouse model. Cholesterol aggravated DSS-induced intestinal epithelial barrier impairment and nuclear sterol regulatory element-binding protein 2 (nSREBP2) inhibition both in vivo and in vitro. In addition, nSREBP2 overexpression ameliorated cholesterol-induced intestinal epithelial barrier disruption in Caco2 cells. Interestingly, inhibition of SREBP2 disrupted intestinal epithelial barrier in the absence of cholesterol. Furthermore, SREBP2 regulated the protein expression of tight junction proteins (occludin/Zo-1) via modulating caveolin-1-mediated endocytosis and lysosomal degradation. Analysis of UK Biobank data indicated that, in fully adjusted models, higher serum TC concentrations were an independent protective factor for IBD incidence. The sterol regulatory element-binding factor 2 (SREBF2) gene rs2228313 (G/C) genetic variant was associated with the incidence of IBD and the CC genotype of SREBF2 rs2228313 was associated with higher serum TC levels and decreased the risk of IBD. In summary, a high cholesterol diet aggravates DSS-induced colitis in mice by down-regulating nSREBP2 expression, thereby promoting the endocytic degradation of tight junction proteins. In humans, SREBF2 gene single nucleotide polymorphism rs2228313 and serum TC levels are associated with IBD incidence.