RESUMO
Capsaicin (CAP) is the main pungent component in capsicum fruits. Eating too much CAP leads to gastrointestinal injury. Previously, Qingke ß-glucan combined with ß-glucan-utilizing Lactobacillus plantarum S58 (LP.S58) ameliorated high fat-diet-induced obesity, but their effects on CAP-induced gastrointestinal injury have not been investigated. Our results showed that Qingke ß-glucan reduced the CAP-induced gastrointestinal injury in Kunming mice. The serum levels of inflammatory cytokines and gastrointestinal hormones, and the localized inflammation and the expression of EGF, EGFR, VEGF, and ZO-1 in the gastrointestinal tissues in CAP-treated mice were partly restored by Qingke ß-glucan. The CAP-induced increase in the abundances of proinflammatory intestinal bacteria was also reduced by Qingke ß-glucan. More importantly, we found that these beneficial effects of Qingke ß-glucan were markedly enhanced by ß-glucan-utilizing LP.S58 supplementation. Our study indicated that Qingke ß-glucan coupled with ß-glucan-utilizing LP.S58 relieved CAP-induced gastrointestinal injury.