Fermented Maillard reaction product alleviates injurious effects in colon caused by Clostridium perfringens

Clostridium perfringens is an important bacterium among commensal bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, which is known to possess potential pathogenicity during its inhabitation. In concordance with the concerns raised by its pathogenicity, this study aimed to elucidate if FMRP (fermented Maillard reaction products), the novel milk-derived material, can reduce the effect caused by the overabundance of C. perfringens in the gut. As a result, FMRP significantly reduced mRNA expression levels in the inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-10, interleukin-11, and interferon-γ) (p<0.05), and tumorigenic potential by activating the cell proliferation-suppressing factors (β-catenin, adenomatous polyposis coli, and E-cadherin) (p<0.05) and deactivation of the cell proliferation-inducing factor (cyclooxygenase-2) (p<0.05) in the colon. Moreover, the tight junction proteins (zonula occludens-1 and claudin-3) were recovered (p<0.05), and the antioxidant enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase) were decreased by FMRP (p<0.05). However, biochemical analyses showed no significant difference. These results indicate that C. perfringens might cause inflammation, oxidative stress, disruption of tight junctions and abnormal cell proliferation to the colon, but FMRP may reduce inflammation and generation of reactive oxygen, and recover tight junction in the colon.