Oral administration of green tea polyphenols (TP) improves ileal injury and intestinal flora disorder in mice with Salmonella typhimurium infection via resisting inflammation, enhancing antioxidant action and preserving tight junction

Food and feed contamination caused by Salmonella typhimurium has led to serious economic losses and healthy problems worldwide, including particularly gastroenteritis and diarrheal diseases related to ileal injury and intestinal flora disorder. Tea polyphenols (TP), a class of natural antioxidant food extracted from tea, display multifarious attractive biological activities. The present study was conducted to explore the modulatory effect of TP on intestinal flora disorder in mice with Salmonella typhimurium infection and its underlying mechanisms of alleviating ileal injury. Results showed that TP could markedly alleviate Salmonella typhimurium-induced ileal injury. Meanwhile, inflammation and oxidative stress markers were decreased with an enhancement of antioxidant enzymes and tight junction proteins after TP treatment. Most importantly, TP improves intestinal flora disorder by increasing the antioxidant enzymes activity and tight junction proteins in ileum. Our results may make positive influence on the use of TP as a functional food component with potential therapeutic and preventive utility against ileal injury and intestinal flora disorder induced by Salmonella typhimurium.