Dietary benzoic acid supplementation attenuates enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli K88-induced inflammation response and intestinal barrier dysfunction associated with gut microbiota modulation in newly-weaned mice

This study aimed to investigate the impact of benzoic acid (BA) on inflammation response, intestinal barrier dysfunction, and gut microbiota in newly -weaned mice infected with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli K88 (ETEC K88). A sum of thirty newly -weaned BALB/c mice were assigned to five groups, including the non-ETEC K88 infection group and the ETEC K88 infection + BA groups (0 %, 0.4 %, 0.6 %, and 0.8 % BA). The addition of 0.6 % BA mitigated inflammatory response and intestinal barrier impairment caused by ETEC K88. The supplementation of 0.6 % BA resulted in an increase in the Observed_species, as well as the relative abundance of Erysipelotrichaceae and Faecalibacterium in the colon microbiota of mice. Spearman's correlations analysis indicated a strong association between gut microbiota and parameters related to inflammation response and intestinal barrier function. Collectively, dietary 0.6 % BA supplementation could attenuate ETEC K88 -induced inflammation response and intestinal barrier dysfunction associated with gut microbiota modulation in newlyweaned mice.