Description
Background/Objectives: Chronic inflammation and Western-style diets elevate colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, particularly in individuals with colitis, a feature of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Diets rich in polyphenol-containing functional foods, such as cocoa, may reduce gut inflammation and modulate the gut microbiome. This study examined the effects of cocoa polyphenol (CP) supplementation on inflammation and microbiome composition before, during, and after colitis in mice fed either a healthy or Western diet. We hypothesized that CPs would attenuate inflammation and promote distinct micro-biome shifts, especially in the context of a Western diet. Methods: A 2×2 factorial design tested the effects of basal diet (AIN93G vs. total Western diet [TWD]) and CP supple-mentation (2.6% w/w CocoaVia™ Cardio Health Powder). Inflammation was induced using the AOM/DSS model of colitis. Results: CP supplementation did not reduce colitis severity as measured by disease activity index or histopathology. CPs did not alter gene expression in healthy tissue or suppress the colitis-associated pro-inflammatory transcriptional profile in either diet group. However, fecal microbiome composition shifted significantly with CPs prior to colitis induction, with persistent effects on several rare taxa during colitis and recovery. Conclusions: CP supplementation did not mitigate inflammation or mucosal injury at the tissue level, nor did it affect immune-related gene expression. While CPs altered microbiome composition, most notably in healthy mice before colitis, these shifts did not correspond to changes in inflammatory signaling. Basal diet remained the primary determinant of inflammation, mucosal damage, and colitis severity in this model.
Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7993-0117
Document Type
Dataset
DCMI Type
Dataset
File Format
.txt, .xlsx
Publication Date
6-26-2025
Funder
USDA, National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
Publisher
Utah State University
Award Number
2018-67017-27516
Methodology
he study used a 2×2 factorial design to evaluate the effects of basal diet (AIN vs. total Western diet) and cocoa polyphenol (CP) supplementation in a mouse model of colitis. Mice were assigned to one of four groups (AIN/CON, AIN/CP, TWD/CON, TWD/CP), received CP from day 7 onward (if applicable), and were induced with colitis using AOM and DSS on day 22. Disease severity, body composition, histopathology, and gene expression were assessed at three time points: pre-colitis (day 21), active colitis (day 33), and recovery (day 47). Colon mucosal samples were analyzed using the NanoString nCounter gene expression platform using the nCounter Mouse PanCancer Immune Profiling Panel. Gene expression analysis was performed using nSolver with the Advanced Analysis Module.
Language
eng
Code Lists
1. nCounter_PanCancer_Immune_Profiling_Panel_Gene_List.xlsx This file is provided by the manufacturer and details the genes included in the probe set. The file is self-explanatory.
2. Project Q_Mapping file.txt Column name Description NS ID Nanostring Identifier ID Project Q blind identifier Diet Indicates the basal diet Supplement Indicates the supplement group Time point Indicates the experimental time point
3. Project Q_nanostring_normalized counts.txt Column name Description Gene Official gene symbol Remaining columns names (row 1) indicate the full sample identification.
4. Project Q_Differential expression analysis results.xlsx
Sheet descriptions: DEGs TWD vs AIN Differentially expressed genes for comparing TWD vs AIN basal diets DEGs CP vs CON Differentially expressed genes for comparing CP vs CON supplement groups DEGs COL vs PRE Differentially expressed genes for comparing COL vs PRE time points DEGs REC vs PRE Differentially expressed genes for comparing REC vs PRE time points DEGs REC vs COL Differentially expressed genes for comparing REC vs COL time points For these sheets above: Column name Description Gene Official gene symbol Log2 fold change as described Std error as described Lower confidence limit (log2) as described Upper confidence limit (log2) as described Linear fold change as described Lower confidence limit (linear) as described Upper confidence limit (linear) as described P-value non-adjusted p-value BH.p.value Benjamini-Hochberg p-value neg.Log.p.value negative log transformed BH p-value method Statistical model used Gene.sets Pathways assigned to the gene probe.ID Nanostring probe identifier
Sheet descriptions Pathway_main Adjusted P-values for pathway analyses for main effects of diet, supplement, and time point Pathway_posthoc Adjusted P-values for pathway analyses for post-hoc comparisons within each time point Column headers are self-explanatory for these sheets
Disciplines
Animal Sciences | Food Science | Nutrition
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Benninghoff, Abby D., "The Dynamic Responses of the Mouse Gut Microbiome to Dietary Supplementation with Various Anthocyanin-Rich Foods in the Context of a Western Diet" (2025). Browse all Datasets. Paper 245.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/all_datasets/245