Sea Conch Peptides Hydrolysate Alleviates DSS-Induced Colitis in Mice through Immune Modulation and Gut Microbiota Restoration

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a persistent, lifelong inflammation of the digestive system. Dextran sulfate sodium is commonly used to induce colitis in experimental animal models, which causes epithelial damage, intestinal inflammation, mucin depletion, and dysbiosis of the gut microbiota. Various prebiotics, polysaccharides, and polypeptides are used for IBD treatment. In this study, we used a murine model utilizing BALB/c mice, with 10 mice per group, to investigate the treatment effect of sea conch peptide hydrolysate (CPH) on DSS-induced colitis mice. Colitis was induced through the administration of 2.5% DSS in drinking water over a seven-days period. Furthermore, on the eighth day of the experiment, sea conch peptide hydrolysate (CPH) at low (100 mg/kg), medium (200 mg/kg), and high (400 mg/kg) doses, which were continued for 14 days, were assessed for medicinal purposes in DSS-induced colitis mice. Our results showed that CPH treatment significantly alleviated the severity and symptoms of colitis. The epithelial integrity and histological damage were improved. Intestinal inflammation and inflammatory cell infiltration were improved. Furthermore, the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines was reduced, and intestinal barrier integrity was restored by elevating the tight junction proteins. Moreover, 16s RNA sequencing revealed dysbiosis of the gut microbiota was observed upon DSS treatment, which was reinstated after CPH treatment. An increased level of Firmicutes and Lactobacillus was observed in the treatment groups. Finally, our results suggest that CPH would be recommended as a functional food source and also have the potential to be used as a medicinal product for different gastrointestinal disorders.