TITLE:
Comparison of Intestinal Immune Homeostasis in Aged Mice Fed Diets Containing Inulin or Hempseed Dietary Fiber
AUTHORS:
Xuting Zhu, Shanshan Lu, Qiao Huang, Jingjing Ruan, Qiuyu Chen, Yao Yao, Jisheng Xie, Lingling Huang
KEYWORDS:
Aging, Intestinal Immune Homeostasis, Inulin, Hempseed Dietary Fiber, Th1/Th2 Ratio, Th17/Treg Ratio
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.14 No.10,
October
27,
2026
ABSTRACT: Objective: To evaluate the regulatory effect of inulin and hempseed dietary fiber on intestinal immune homeostasis in aged mice. Methods: In this study, a total of 32 male C57BL/6 mice were utilized, with 8 mice aged 20 weeks designated as the young control (YC) group, and the remaining 24 mice aged 84 weeks were divided into the aged control (AC) group, inulin (AIN) group, and hempseed dietary fiber (AHS) group. After a 12-week dietary intervention, the changes in the proportion of CD4+ T cell subsets (Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg) of the colon in aged mice were detected by flow cytometry, and immunohistochemistry was used to detect the changes in colonic inflammatory factors. Results: When compared with the YC group, the proportion of Th1 and Th17 cells was found to be significantly decreased in the AC group. The proportion of Th1 and Th17 cells in the AIN and AHS groups was significantly increased compared with the AC group. The Th1/Th2 ratio and the Th17/Treg ratio were found to be significantly decreased in the AC group compared with those of the YC group. When compared with the AC group, the Th1/Th2 ratio was significantly improved in the AIN group but not in the AHS group. In addition, the expression of IL-6 was significantly increased in the AC group compared to the YC group. The expression of IL-6 was found to be decreased in the AIN and AHS groups when compared to the AC group. Conclusion: Diets containing inulin and hempseed dietary fiber components partially improved age-related alterations in intestinal immune responses in aged mice. These findings suggest that both dietary interventions may have potential for mitigating age-related intestinal immune decline.