Grant: Project Grant

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are the most common chronic intestinal conditions and their incidence and prevalence have shown a dramatic increase in the last decades. Emerging evidence suggests linkages between IBD and diet, based on both epidemiological and experimental studies. One factor by which the diet may impact colitis involves the presence of food additives in the food supply. Among various food additives that are commonly used, artificial food dyes play a key role in enhancing the appearance of food and attracting consumers. Allura red, is one of the most widely used artificial dyes in food products, and its consumption is increasing. However, we still don't know whether allura red plays a role in pathogenesis of colitis. Serotonin is a key molecule in the human body that controls many normal and disease processes, and recently we demonstrated a novel role of serotonin in shaping gut microbiota composition and in increasing susceptibility to colitis. We hypothesize that the allura red in food enhances the susceptibility to colitis. We plan to pin down three key points: (1) Does allura red alters intestinal barrier function to increase susceptibility to colitis? (2) Does allura red influences susceptibility of colitis by affecting microbiota? and (3) Does allura red influences serotonin signaling in relation to severity of colitis. This study will not only provide us important information on the effects of allura red in pathogenesis of colitis but will also help in increasing awareness in IBD sufferers to avoid such additives as well in planning preventive programs for subjects at high risk to develop IBD.