Protective Effects of Fermented Soybeans () on Dextran Sodium Sulfate (DSS)-Induced Colitis in a Mouse Model.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disease, and the incidence of IBD is increasing every year owing to changes in dietary structure. Although the exact pathogenesis of IBD is still unclear, recent evidence suggests that gut dysbiosis is closely associated with IBD pathogenesis. is a traditional Korean fermented soybean paste produced using traditional and industrial methods, and contains probiotics, which affect the gut microbiota composition. However, the protective effect of against IBD is unknown. In this study, we investigated the bacterial community structure of traditional and commercial samples, as well as the protective effect of on a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model. Traditional and commercial were found to contain various type of useful probiotics in their bacterial community structure. reduced the progression of DSS-induced symptoms, such as body weight loss, colonic shortening, disease activity index, and histological changes. Further, improved the intestinal epithelial barrier integrity on DSS-induced colitis mice. In addition, suppressed the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and inflammatory mediators through the inactivation of NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. These results indicate that exerts protective effects against DSS-induced colitis, suggesting its possible application as a functional food for improving inflammatory diseases.