Resolvins protect against diabetes‐induced colonic oxidative stress, barrier dysfunction, and associated diarrhea via the HO‐1 pathway

Abstract Diabetes is associated with increased oxidative stress, leading to altered tight junction formation and increased apoptosis in colonic epithelial cells. These changes may lead to intestinal barrier dysfunction and corresponding gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with diabetes, including diarrhea. The aim of this study was to characterize the effect and mechanism of Resolvin D1 (RvD1) on diabetes‐induced oxidative stress and barrier disruption in the colon. Mice with streptozotocin‐induced diabetes were treated with RvD1 for 2 weeks, then evaluated for stool frequency, stool water content, gut permeability, and colonic transepithelial electrical resistance as well as production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), apoptosis, and expression of tight junction proteins Zonula Occludens 1 (ZO‐1) and occludin. The same parameters were assessed in human colonoid cultures subjected to elevated glucose. We found that RvD1 treatment did not affect blood glucose, but normalized stool water content and prevented intestinal barrier dysfunction, epithelial oxidative stress, and apoptosis. RvD1 also restored ZO‐1 and occludin expression in diabetic mice. RvD1 treatment increased phosphorylation of Akt and was accompanied by a 3.5‐fold increase in heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) expression in the epithelial cells. The protective effects of RvD1 were blocked by ZnPP, a competitive inhibitor of HO‐1. Similar findings were observed in RvD1‐treated human colonoid cultures subjected to elevated glucose. In conclusion, Oxidative stress in diabetes results in mucosal barrier dysfunction, contributing to the development of diabetic diarrhea. Resolvins prevent ROS‐mediated mucosal injury and protect gut barrier function by intracellular PI3K/Akt activation and subsequent HO‐1 upregulation in intestinal epithelial cells. These actions result in normalizing stool frequency and stool water content in diabetic mice, suggesting that resolvins may be useful in the treatment of diabetic diarrhea.