Pingyin Rose Essential Oil Restores Intestinal Barrier Integrity in DSS-induced Mice Colitis Model

Rosa rugosa cv. Plena is a 'drug homologous food' in China with a long history. Pingyin rose essential oil (PREO) is a mixture of compounds extracted from blooming R. rugosa cv. Plena. With its elegant smell and excellent effects on oxidative stress and inflammation alleviation, PREO is wildly used in the food industry as a popular additive. We aimed to decipher if the PREO could alleviate and restore dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced barrier integrity damages. The results showed that a 7-day PREO (15 mu L/kg) treatment alleviated the colitis symptoms by improving disease activity index (DAI) scores through weight loss, occult blood, and colon shortening. The expression of tight junction proteins and the enzyme activities of superoxide dismutases (SOD), and catalase (CAT) increased while nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) production decreased in PREO-treated C57BL6 female mice. PREO treatment inhibited the expression of proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL)-1 beta, and IL-6. Further, PREO modulated the composition of the gut microbiota and Spearman's correlation analysis revealed a positive effect. The transcriptome analysis and western blot results indicated that PREO might ameliorate intestinal barrier dysfunction in this study via the TLR4-NF-kB signaling pathway. We hypothesized that PREO has preventive potential against gut disorders and could serve as a functional food additive.

Automated summary

Rosa rugosa cv. Plena, a 'drug homologous food' in China, has been widely used in the food industry as a popular additive. Pingyin rose essential oil (PREO), extracted from R. rugosa cv. Plena, has shown to alleviate and restore barrier integrity damages caused by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). The study found that PREO treatment improved colitis symptoms, increased tight junction proteins expression and the enzyme activities of SOD and CAT, decreased production of NO, MDA, and MPO, and inhibited the expression of proinflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, PREO modulated the gut microbiota composition and improved intestinal barrier function through the TLR4-NF-kB signaling pathway.