Pomegranate Peel Extract Mitigates Diarrhea-Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndromes via MAPK and NF-κB Pathway Modulation in Rats.

BACKGROUND

Diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) is a common chronic functional gastrointestinal disorder that causes diarrheal and intestinal barrier disruptions. Although pomegranate peel extract (PPE) has been reported for the treatment of diarrheal and intestinal inflammation, its effectiveness and mechanisms specifically for the treatment of IBS-D remain unknown.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to explore the therapeutic effect of PPE on IBS-D and elucidate its underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

A high-fat diet, restraint stress, and senna gavage were combined to establish a rat model mimicking IBS-D, to evaluate the therapeutic effects of PPE. Network pharmacology analysis, serum medicinal chemistry, and transcriptomics were employed to investigate potential downstream signaling pathways. Findings were further validated through molecular docking and Western blot analysis.

RESULTS

The findings revealed that PPE significantly improved the symptoms of IBS-D, ameliorated intestinal inflammation, and promoted intestinal barrier function. The target genes in the MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways were significantly enriched and down-regulated. Molecular docking and Western blot assays were performed to verify that PPE had a high affinity for the protein candidates in these pathways, and significantly down-regulated the expression of p-IκB, p-p65, p-JNK, p-p38, and p-ERK1/2.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study is the first to demonstrate that PPE alleviates diarrheal and intestinal damage in IBS-D, potentially by inhibiting MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways. These findings suggest that PPE may provide a novel therapeutic option for IBS-D.