Orally administered melanin from Sepiapharaonis ink ameliorates depression-anxiety-like behaviors in DSS-induced colitis by mediating inflammation pathway and regulating apoptosis

[Display omitted] •Melanin from Sepiapharaonis significantly reduced the depression-anxiety behaviors.•Melanin inhibited NF-κB and NLRP3/ACS/Caspase-1 inflammasome.•Melanin mediated abnormal expression of inflammatory cytokines.•Melanin significantly decreased the activation state of microglia.•Melanin down-regulated oxidative stress levels in the neuroinflammation. The effects of intestinal inflammation on the brain and behavior have received a lot of attention. Melanin (MSI) from Sepiapharaonis ink as an emerging functional food, it exhibited a significant protective effect on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) induced colitis in previous study. In present study, C57BL/6J mice were free to drink 2.5% DSS solution to establish the colitis model. During the DSS treatment, mice were orally administrated with MSI once per day (75, 150, and 300 mg/kg, respectively). The results showed that MSI treatment ameliorated the depression and anxiety symptoms of colitis mice. Further mechanism studies indicated that MSI alleviated inflammatory response by adjusting cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β, IFN-γ, and IL-10, and proteins NLRP3/ASC/caspase-1 inflammasome), inhibited the activation of microglia, restored brain synaptic density, reduced oxidative stress (SOD, MDA) and regulated apoptosis (tunel staining, caspase-3). MSI could modulate depression-anxiety states by targeting inflammation, nerve tissue, oxidative stress and apoptosis. MSI administration could serve as an emerging blue food and nutrition strategy for the prevention of digestive tract inflammation and behavioral disorders.