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About the Authors:
Claudine Benard
Contributed equally to this work with: Claudine Benard, Antonietta Cultrone
Current address: Pharmanet, Paris, France
Affiliation: INRA, UMR 1280 PHAN, Université de Nantes, CHU Hôtel-Dieu, Nantes, France
Antonietta Cultrone
Contributed equally to this work with: Claudine Benard, Antonietta Cultrone
Affiliation: INRA, UR910 UEPSD, Domaine de Vilvert, Jouy-en-Josas, France
Catherine Michel
Affiliation: INRA, UMR 1280 PHAN, Université de Nantes, CHU Hôtel-Dieu, Nantes, France
Carlos Rosales
Affiliation: Immunology Department, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
Jean-Pierre Segain
Affiliation: INRA, UMR 1280 PHAN, Université de Nantes, CHU Hôtel-Dieu, Nantes, France
Marc Lahaye
Affiliation: INRA, BIA, Nantes, France
Jean-Paul Galmiche
Affiliation: INSERM, U913, CHU Hôtel-Dieu, Nantes, France
Christine Cherbut
Current address: Nestle Research Centre, Lausanne, France
Affiliation: INRA, UMR 1280 PHAN, Université de Nantes, CHU Hôtel-Dieu, Nantes, France
Hervé M. Blottière
* E-mail: [email protected]
Affiliation: INRA, UR910 UEPSD, Domaine de Vilvert, Jouy-en-Josas, France
Introduction
Carrageenan (CGN) is a high molecular weight sulphated polysaccharide (>200 kDa) derived from red algae (Rhodophyceae). Three main forms of CGN have been identified: kappa, iota, and lambda. They differ from each other in sulphation degree and solubility [1], [2]. Native CGN is thought to be harmless and is widely used as a food additive to improve texture. It is also used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. However, acid treatment at high temperature (80°C) triggers CGN hydrolysis to lower molecular weight (<50 kDa) compounds known as poligeenan or degraded CGN (dCGN). These dCGNs induce inflammation and have been widely used as models of colitis in several species, including rats [3], rabbits [4] and guinea pigs [5]. The role of dCGN as a tumor-promoting factor remains controversial [4], [6]–[8].
Although the native form is thought to be harmless for human consumption, small amounts of dCGN are probably produced by acid hydrolysis during gastric digestion [9], [10] or interaction with intestinal bacteria [11], [12]. Whereas the effects of native and dCGN on intestinal inflammation have been extensively analyzed in animal models, only few studies have been conducted using human cell lines. Recent studies have shown a link between exposure to native form CGN and IL-8 production by the human intestinal epithelial cell line, NCM460, via Nuclear Factor-κB (NF-κB) activation [13], [14]. NF-κB is a transcription factor that...