LAUSR

Probiotic lactobacilli and their exopolysaccharides (EPS) are thought to modulate mucosal homeostasis，however, its mechanisms remain elusive. Thus, we tried to clarify the role of exopolysaccharides from Lactobacillus plantarum NCU116 (EPS116) in the intestinal mucosal homeostasis. Our results indicated that EPS116 regulated the colon mucosal healing and homeostasis, enhanced the goblet cell differentiation and promoted the expression of Muc2 gene in vivo and in vitro. Further experiments showed that EPS116 promoted the expression and phosphorylation of transcription factor c-Jun, and facilitated it binding to the promoter of Muc2. Moreover, knocking down c-Jun or inhibiting its function in LS 174T cells treated with EPS116 led to decreased expression of Muc2，implied that EPS116 promoted the colonic mucosal homeostasis and Muc2 expression via c-Jun. Therefore, our study uncovered a novel model that EPS116 enhanced colon mucosal homeostasis by controlling the epithelial cells differentiation and c-Jun/Muc2 signaling.