The dietary phytochemicals carnosic acid and sulforaphane regulate inflammatory markers in ulcerative colitis patient-derived colonoids

Sep 28, 2026

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Inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis (UC), involves continuous colonic inflammation with erosions and ulcers, typically diagnosed in late teens to mid-30s and lacking a cure. This study assessed anti-inflammatory effects of carnosic acid and sulforaphane using patient-derived colonic epithelial organoids cultured under low oxygen. By measuring cytokines and gene/protein responses, the study found reduced inflammatory markers, enhanced NRF2 activity, and NF-κB–related modulation of antimicrobial peptide NGAL/LCN2, supporting these dietary phytochemicals as potential low-adverse therapies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

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Introduction

Methods

Results

Discussion

TYPE Original Research PUBLISHED 18 December 2025 DOI 10.3389/fphar.2025.1696576 OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY Ling Yu, Southwest University, China REVIEWED BY Dipak Kumar Sahoo, Iowa State University, United States George Pantalos, Penteli General Children ’s Hospital, Greece *CORRESPONDENCE Jeremy J. Johnson, [jjjohn@uic.edu](jjjohn@uic.edu) RECEIVED 01 September 2025 REVISED 23 October 2025 ACCEPTED 17 November 2025 PUBLISHED 18 December 2025 CITATION Rivera Rodríguez R, Sæterstad S, Chattergoon Ali A-T, Selvik L-KM, Bakke I, Bruland T and Johnson JJ (2025) The dietary phytochemicals carnosic acid and sulforaphane regulate inﬂammatory markers in ulcerative colitis patient-derived colonoids. Front. Pharmacol. 16:1696576 . doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1696576 COPYRIGHT © 2025 Rivera Rodríguez, Sæterstad, Chattergoon Ali, Selvik, Bakke, Bruland and Johnson. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. The dietary phytochemicalscarnosic acid and sulforaphane regulate inﬂammatory markers in ulcerative colitis patient-derived colonoids Rocío Rivera Rodríguez 􀀁 1, Siri Sæterstad 2, Ann-Therese Chattergoon Ali 2, Linn-Karina M. Selvik 2, Ingunn Bakke 2,3, Torunn Bruland 2,4 and Jeremy J. Johnson 5* 1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Retzky College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States, 2Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine (IKOM), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, NTNU-Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, 3Clinic of Laboratory Medicine, St. Olav ’s University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway, 4Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Clinic of Medicine, St. Olav’s University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway, 5Department of Pharmacy Practice, Retzky College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States Introduction: The inﬂammatory bowel disease (IBD) ulcerative colitis (UC) is characterized by continuous inﬂammation of the colon with erosion and ulcers. Diagnosis typically occurs in patients between their late teens and mid-30s with no cure. Available therapeutics are efﬁcient at controlling symptoms however, they have many serious adverse effects. Thus, additional therapies with limited adverse effects are needed to complement these drugs. In this study, we evaluated the anti-inﬂammatory potential of carnosic acid (CA), the most abundant diterpene in rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) and sulforaphane (SFN), anisothiocyanate found in cruciferous vegetables. Methods: We used colonic epithelial organoids (colonoids) derived from non-IBD and UC patients as a physiologically relevant testing platform for both phytochemicals. These patient-derived colonoids are a representative model that recapitulates the parent epithelial tissue including its cellular composition and 3D structure. Moreover, we cultured the colonoids at 2% O2 to better approximate the low oxygen level (physioxia) observed in the colon crypts. To assess the effects of CA and SFN in the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κ B) pathways, we studied modulation of inﬂammatory cytokines through a 40-plex chemokine assay and ELISA, as well as gene and protein expression of target genes with qPCR and western blot, respectively. Results: Through these techniques, we observed that CA and SFN decreased inﬂammatory markers and promoted NRF2 activity in patient-derived colonoids. Additionally, SFN and CA modulated the expression and secretion of the NF-κB pro

FAQs

What are the main dietary compounds evaluated for ulcerative colitis in this study?

The study evaluates carnosic acid (CA) and sulforaphane (SFN) as dietary phytochemicals with potential anti-inflammatory effects in ulcerative colitis models.

How were effects of CA and SFN tested experimentally?

The researchers used patient-derived colonic epithelial organoids (colonoids) from UC and non-IBD patients, cultured under low oxygen, and assessed cytokine changes plus gene and protein expression using chemokine assays, ELISA, qPCR, and western blot.

What key inflammatory and pathway outcomes were reported?

CA and SFN decreased inflammatory markers, promoted NRF2 activity, and modulated NF-κB–related expression and secretion of the antibacterial peptide NGAL/LCN2, proposed as a biomarker for active UC.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy