2023-05-26 14:40:00
Healthy vegetable
Robert Klatt
A specific molecule found in broccoli improves the functions of cells in the small intestine. This reduces the risk of various diseases.
Pennsylvania (U.S.A.). It is well known in science that broccoli has a positive impact on human health. For example, various studies have shown that increased consumption of this cabbage plant can reduce the risk of cancer and type 2 diabetes. A recently published study by researchers at Pennsylvania State University (PSU) also shows that special molecules in the vegetable dock to receptors in mice and thus protect the mucous membrane of the small intestine and thus prevent the development of diseases.
“We all know that broccoli is healthy. But what exactly happens in our body when we eat broccoli? Our research is helping to unravel these processes and uncover how broccoli and other foods benefit the health of mice and presumably humans as well. She provides a compelling argument that cruciferous vegetables, i.e. vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts, should be part of a balanced and healthy diet.”
As Gary H. Perdew explains, the wall of the small intestine performs an essential function, allowing beneficial water and nutrients into the body while repelling potentially harmful particles and bacteria. Various cells that line the small intestine play a key role in this. Enterocytes, which absorb water and nutrients, goblet cells, which create a protective layer of mucus on the intestinal wall, and Paneth cells, which secrete lysosomes containing digestive enzymes. All of these cells work together to regulate the functioning of the small intestine and maintain a healthy balance.
Influences the functions of the cells in the small intestine
According to the publication in the specialist magazine Laboratory Investigation Perdew’s researchers discovered that certain molecules in broccoli, called aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligands, bind to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), a special type of protein known as a transcription factor. They discovered that this compound triggers a range of activities that affect how cells in the small intestine function.
Experiments with Mice
In the course of their study, the scientists fed a test group of mice a diet containing 15 percent broccoli. For humans, that would equate to about 3.5 cups a day. A control group of mice, on the other hand, received a conventional laboratory diet without broccoli. The animals’ tissues were then analyzed to determine the degree of activation of the AHR, as well as the amount of different cell types and mucus concentrations and other factors in both groups.
The research team found that mice that were not fed broccoli lacked AHR activity. This resulted in a change in the function of the small intestinal barrier, reduced transit time of food in the small intestine, reduced number of goblet cells and protective mucus, decreased Paneth cells and lysosome production, and reduced number of enterocytes.
“The gut health of the mice that did not receive broccoli was compromised in several ways that are known to be associated with disease. Our research suggests that broccoli and likely other foods may serve as natural sources of AHR ligands and that a diet rich in these ligands contributes to small intestinal resilience.”
Laboratory Investigation, doi: 10.1016/j.labinv.2022.100012
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