Consumption of a baked corn and bean snack reduced chronic colitis inflammation in CD-1 mice via downregulation of IL-1 receptor, TLR, and TNF-α associated pathways

[Display omitted] •The 40 g snack/kg body weight (BW) treatment prevented histological damage.•20 and 40 g snack/kg BW reduced MPO and β-glucuronidase activities.•Serum levels of TNF-α and MCP-1 were reduced by the consumption of the snack.•The snack modulated fecal metabolites related to β-oxidation of fatty acids.•The consumption of the snack inhibited genes from IL to 1, TNF-α, and TLR pathways. Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a condition that has been rising in the number of cases around the world. Food products made from natural ingredients such as corn and common bean might serve as alternatives for the treatment of UC. This study aimed to assess the anti-inflammatory effect of the consumption of a baked corn and bean snack (CBS) in an in vivo model of UC using 2% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) as inductor of colitis. CD-1 mice (45, n = 9/group) were randomly separated into 5 groups, treated for 6-weeks as follows: G1 (basal diet, BD), G2 (2% DSS), G3 (20 g CBS/body weight BW/day + BD), G4 (40 g CBS/BW/day + BD) and G5 (60 g CBS/BW/day + BD). BW, Disease Activity Index (DAI), and feces were collected throughout the treatment. After euthanasia, organs (spleen, liver, and colon) were excised and weighed. Feces were analyzed for β-glucuronidase (β-GLUC) activity and gas-chromatography. The colons were analyzed for histopathology, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, and gene analysis. At the end of treatments, among the DSS-induced groups, G3 exhibited the lowest BW losses (11.5%), MPO activity (10.4%) and β-GLUC (8.6%). G4 presented the lowest DAI (0.88), relative spleen weight, and histological inflammation score (p