Muscadine grape (vitis rotundifolia) and wine polyphenols alleviated arthritis and restored the gut microbial composition in mice

A study investigated the effect of muscadine grape polyphenols (MGP) and muscadine wine polyphenols (MWP) on the onset and progression of arthritis in mice.
Arthritis in male DBA/1J mice was induced by two intradermal injections of type II collagen. Muscadine grape polyphenols or muscadine wine polyphenols (400 mg/kg) were orally gavaged to mice. Muscadine grape polyphenols and muscadine wine polyphenols were found to delay the onset and reduce the severity and clinical symptoms of collagen induced arthritis (CIA). In addition, muscadine grape polyphenols and muscadine wine polyphenols significantly reduced the plasma concentration of TNF-α, IL-6, anti-collagen antibodies, and matrix metalloproteinase-3 in CIA mice. Based on nano CT and histological analysis, muscadine grape polyphenols and muscadine wine polyphenols reduced pannus formation, cartilage destruction, and bone erosion in CIA mice.
Analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA revealed that arthritis in mice is associated with gut dysbiosis. Muscadine wine polyphenols was more effective than muscadine grape polyphenols at alleviating such dysbiosis by shifting the microbiome composition towards the direction of healthy mice. Relative abundance of several genera of gut microbiome correlated with plasma inflammatory biomarkers and bone histology scores, suggesting they play a role in the development and progression of arthritis.
The authors say that the study results suggest that muscadine grape or wine polyphenols may potentially be used as a diet-based strategy to prevent and manage arthritis in humans.
Source: Christman LM, Wang GP, Washington TL, Gu L. Muscadine Grape (Vitis rotundifolia) and Wine Polyphenols Alleviated Arthritis and Restored the Gut Microbial Composition in Mice. J Nutr Biochem. 2023 Mar 4:109311.