Resveratrol regulates intestinal barrier function in cyclophosphamide‐induced immunosuppressed mice

Background Resveratrol, a kind of polyphenolic phytoalexin, could be obtained from numerous natural foods. Although resveratrol is demonstrated to have various bioactivities, little is known about the regulation of intestinal barrier function under immunosuppression. The present study is aimed to investigate the regulating effect of resveratrol on intestinal barrier function in immunosuppressive mice induced by cyclophosphamide. Results The effects of resveratrol on intestinal biological barrier were evaluated by 16S rRNA and metagenome sequencing analysis. The results showed that resveratrol could improve diversity of the intestinal microbiota and intestinal flora structure by increasing the abundance of probiotics, and resveratrol regulated the function of gut microbiota to resist immunosuppression. Resveratrol could significantly upregulate the secretion of secretory immunoglobulin A and promote the transcriptional levels of test cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor α, interferon-γ, interleukin-4 and interleukin-6 in jejunum and ileum mucosa, suggesting improved intestinal immune barrier by resveratrol. The mRNA and protein levels of tight junction proteins involved in intestinal physical barrier function, including ZO-1, Claudin-1 and Occludin, were increased after resveratrol treatment. The protein levels of toll like receptors 4 (TLR4), phosphorylation nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB-p65) and inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase α were decreased by resveratrol treatment when compared with the untreated group, indicating the inhibition of TLR4/NF-ĸB signaling pathway. Conclusion These results provide new insights into regulation of the intestinal barrier function by resveratrol under immunosuppression and potential applications of resveratrol in recovering the intestinal function. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.