Beneficial Effects of Natural Mineral Waters on Intestinal Inflammation and the Mucosa-Associated Microbiota

Abstract

Natural mineral water (NMWs) intake has been traditionally used in the treatment of various gastrointestinal diseases. We investigated the effect of two French NMWs, one a calcium and magnesium sulphate, sodium chloride, carbonic, and ferruginous water (NMW1), the other a mainly bicarbonate water (NMW2) on the prevention of intestinal inflammation. Intestinal epithelial cells stimulated with heat inactivated <i>Escherichia coli</i> or H₂O₂ were treated with NMWs to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects. Moderate colitis was induced by 1% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in Balbc/J mice drinking NMW1, NWW2, or control water. General signs and histological features of colitis, fecal lipocalin-2 and pro-inflammatory KC cytokine levels, global mucosa-associated microbiota, were analyzed. We demonstrated that both NMW1 and NMW2 exhibited anti-inflammatory effects using intestinal cells. In induced-colitis mice, NMW1 was effective in dampening intestinal inflammation, with significant reductions in disease activity scores, fecal lipocalin-2 levels, pro-inflammatory KC cytokine release, and intestinal epithelial lesion sizes. Moreover, NMW1 was sufficient to prevent alterations in the mucosa-associated microbiota. These observations, through mechanisms involving modulation of the mucosa-associated microbiota, emphasize the need of investigation of the potential clinical efficiency of such NMWs to contribute, in human beings, to a state of low inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease.