Apple consumption affects cecum health by regulating 12S-hydroxy-5Z,8Z,10E,14Z-eicosatetraenoic acid (12(S)-HETE) levels through modifying of the microbiota in rats.

Apple is rich in many nutrients and functional components. However, the mechanism of the effect of fresh apple consumption on rats remains unclear. In the present study, fresh apples (10 g/kg) were added to the diet of Wistar rats, and changes in microbiota and metabolite content of cecum contents were analyzed after 28 days of feeding, and changes in indicators related to 12S-hydroxy-5Z,8Z,10E,14Z-eicosatetraenoic acid (12(S)-HETE), inflammatory factors, oxidative stress, and apoptosis were detected. Subsequently, a fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) protocol was designed and carried out to verify the relationship between the microbiota and 12(S)-HETE, cecum structure, and inflammatory factors. The results show that apple consumption significantly reduced the serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and immunoglobulin G (IgG), altered cecum histomorphology, and significantly upregulated the gene expression of claudin-1 and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), which encode tight junction proteins. Apple consumption also changed the structure of the cecum microbiota, increasing the abundance of some species (such as Shuttleworthia) and decreasing the abundance of others (such as Alphaproteobacteria). Metabolomic screening identified 64 significantly different metabolites. The FMT results showed that apple consumption reduced 12(S)-HETE metabolite levels in the cecum contents, improved intestinal structure, and reduced levels of proinflammatory factor expression by altering the cecum microbiota. In conclusion, this study provides further insight into the effects of apples on animals using rats as experimental animals. It provides basic data for future exploration of the mechanisms of apple consumption in humans.

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