Walnut
peptides have been reported to exhibit diverse activities. In this study, we investigated the protective and recovery effects of the walnut derived
peptide leucine-
proline-
phenylalanine (LPF) on
dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced
colitis in mice. The
peptide LPF mitigated the severity of symptoms during the development phase of
colitis, as evidenced by changes in
body weight, disease activity index score, and serum inflammatory
cytokine levels. Moreover, the treatment groups showed beneficial effects, including increased colon length, reduced colonic cell apoptosis, decreased production of inflammatory factors, and expansion of splenic regulatory T cells during the recovery period. Additionally, 16S
rDNA sequencing results indicated that 100 mg/kg LPF (M group) reversed the
dysbiosis of gut microbiota in
colitis mice. This included partial recovery of diversity of microbiota, increase in relative abundance of the family Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae during the development phase of
colitis. Additionally, the composition of gut microbiota in the M group was constantly improved during the recovery period of
colitis, showing increased relative abundance of beneficial genera and decreased abundance of potentially harmful genera compared with that in the DSS group. In summary, the
peptide LPF could contribute to remission of
colitis symptoms and restoration through reduction in cell apoptosis, anti-inflammatory effects, and regulation of gut microbiota.