γ-Glutamyl valine supplementation-induced mitigation of gut inflammation in a porcine model of colitis

A dietary peptide gamma-glutamyl value (EV) possesses the agonistic property to activate a calcium sensing receptor-mediated anti-inflammatory pathway, thereby suppressing inflammation. This study aims to substantiate the therapeutic efficacy of gamma-EV as an anti-inflammatory agent in a dextran sodium sulphate (DSS)-induced colitis porcine model. Colitis symptoms were observed after intra-gastric infusion of DSS for five days, followed by five days of administration of saline or gamma-EV. gamma-EV supplementation reduced DSS-induced weight loss and clinical signs, while preserving colonic architecture and intestinal permeability. Colonic production of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin (IL)-6 were reduced to a level observed in animals without DSS treatment. The colonic gene expression of TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-1 beta and interferon (IFN)-gamma were also mitigated by gamma-EV treatment, thus indicating gamma-EV can restore immune homeostasis by attenuating inflammation. Our findings suggest that gamma-EV supplementation may be a promising therapeutic strategy in the treatment of intestinal inflammation. (c) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.