Understanding the mechanisms by which inulin modulate the intestinal microbiota and contribute to epithelial regeneration in the colon

• Grant number: 23/00564-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: June 04, 2023
• End date: June 03, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Immunology - Cellular Immunology
• Principal Investigator: Marco Aurélio Ramirez Vinolo
• Grantee: Arilson Bernardo dos Santos Pereira Gomes
• Supervisor: Eric C. Martens
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Michigan, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 20/02312-3 - Study of the effect of short-chain fatty acids on the tissue regeneration process during experimental colitis, BP.DD

Abstract

The intestinal epithelium is a tissue with high-turnover, an aspect that is essential for the maintenance of the intestinal barrier and it is sustained by a pool of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) residing in the intestinal crypts. The proliferation and differentiation of ISCs are regulated by different cells (i.e. mesenchymal and immune cells) and external signals (i.e. components from the diet and molecules-derived from the microbiota), which act in a complex and coordinated manner. Previous work of our group demonstrated that inulin, a soluble dietary fiber, induce robust adaptations of the microbiota and intestinal epithelium. Consumption of an inulin-supplemented diet was shown to induce ISCs proliferation and to regulate their differentiation in steady state. However, the impact of it after intestinal damage is unknown. In this study, we plan to investigate the impact of inulin on the regenerative ISC population functions after intestinal injury. For that purpose, we will use a synthetic human microbiota composed of 14-bacterial species, which will allow us to understand in more details the inulin-microbiota relationship and to identify the mechanisms that may be involved in intestinal regeneration. Furthermore, we will investigate the effect of inulin in the development of colitis in a genetic colitis-susceptible mice model. The data generated in this project will clarify the effects of inulin on intestinal epithelial regeneration and protection of the development of colitis for a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying this process. (AU)