LAUSR

BACKGROUND Chlorogenic acid (CGA), as one of the most abundant phenolic acids in nature, has been documented to be beneficial for intestinal health. However, the underlying mechanism is still not fully understood. The adult intestinal stem cell is the critical driver of epithelial homeostasis and regeneration. RESULTS Here, this study hypothesized that CGA exerted intestinal health effects via modulating intestinal stem cell functions. Lgr5-EGFP mice and intestinal organoids derived from the above mice were treated for 14 days and 3 days using CGA solution, respectively. Compared with the control group, CGA treatment evidently increased intestinal villous height and crypt depth in mice and augmented the area expansion and the budding number of intestinal organoids. qPCR analysis revealed that CGA treatment significantly increased the expression of genes coding intestinal stem cells marker in intestinal tissue and organoid, and upregulated the expression of genes coding secretory cell lineages and enterocytes, although not statistically significant. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis further confirmed that CGA augmented the number of stem cells. In addition, Edu incorporation and Ki67 immunostaining results demonstrated that CGA treatment enhanced intestinal stem cell proliferation. CONCLUSION Altogether, our findings indicate that CGA could activate intestinal stem cell and epithelial regeneration, which may contribute to the improvement of intestinal morphology or organoid growth of mice. This highlights a promising mechanism for CGA as an excellent candidate for the formulation of dietary supplements and functional foods for intestinal protection. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.