Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2020. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jun 21, 2020; 26(23): 3170-3181
Published online Jun 21, 2020. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v26.i23.3170
Potential of the ellagic acid-derived gut microbiota metabolite – Urolithin A in gastrointestinal protection
Małgorzata Kujawska, Jadwiga Jodynis-Liebert
Małgorzata Kujawska, Jadwiga Jodynis-Liebert, Department of Toxicology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan 60631, Poland
Author contributions: Kujawska M wrote the manuscript; Jodynis-Liebert J revised the manuscript.
Supported by the National Science Centre, No. 2017/26/D/NZ7/00748.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Małgorzata Kujawska, MSc, PhD, Adjunct Professor, Associate Professor, Department of Toxicology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Dojazd 30, Poznan 60631, Poland. kujawska@ump.edu.pl
Received: January 31, 2020
Peer-review started: January 31, 2020
First decision: April 9, 2020
Revised: May 19, 2020
Accepted: May 23, 2020
Article in press: May 23, 2020
Published online: June 21, 2020
Abstract

Urolithin A (UA) is a metabolic compound generated during the biotransformation of ellagitannins by the intestinal bacteria. The physiologically relevant micromolar concentrations of UA, achieved in the plasma and gastrointestinal tract (GI) after consumption of its dietary precursors, have been revealed to offer GI protection. The health benefit has been demonstrated to be principally related to anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects. UA has been shown to possess the capability to regulate multiple tumor and inflammatory signaling pathways and to modulate enzyme activity, including those involved in carcinogen biotransformation and antioxidant defense. The purpose of this review is to gather evidence from both in vitro and in vivo studies showing the potential of UA in GI protection alongside suggested mechanisms by which UA can protect against cancer and inflammatory diseases of the digestive tract. The data presented herein, covering both studies on the pure compound and in vivo generated UA form its natural precursor, support the potential of this metabolite in treatment interventions against GI ailments.

Keywords: Urolithin A, Colonic metabolite, Gut microbiota, Colorectal cancer, Inflammatory bowel diseases, Hepatocellular carcinoma, Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Barrett’s esophagus, Ellagitannins

Core tip: Urolithin A (UA) - an ellagitannin metabolite generated by the intestinal bacteria at physiologically relevant micromolar concentrations, offers gastrointestinal (GI) protection. The health benefit is principally related to anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects. UA can regulate multiple tumor and inflammatory signaling pathways and enzyme activities, including those involved in carcinogen biotransformation and antioxidant defense. The presented herein data support the potential of both pure compound and in vivo generated UA in treatment interventions against GI ailments.