{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,21]],"date-time":"2026-05-21T05:10:41Z","timestamp":1779340241537,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,12]],"date-time":"2026-05-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778544000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Liaoning Provincial Science and Technology Plan Joint Project","award":["2024-MSLH-026"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2024-MSLH-026"]}]},{"name":"Shanghai Qimingxing Yangfan Special Project","award":["24YF2733800"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["24YF2733800"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that requires new treatment approaches beyond traditional anti-inflammatory drugs. In this study, we analyzed publicly available single-cell RNA sequencing data from a DSS-induced colitis mouse model and identified pyroptosis as a key biological process linked to epithelial damage. Based on this, we screened marine-derived brominated indoles for potential pyroptosis inhibitors and identified 6-bromoindole-3-acetonitrile as a promising candidate. Our results show that this compound significantly alleviates DSS-induced colitis in mice, with notable body weight recovery and a drop in Disease Activity Index (DAI) scores from about 8.5 to below 4 (p &lt; 0.05). At the molecular level, it lowers the mRNA levels of Nlrp3, Caspase-1, and other pyroptosis-related genes, indicating suppression of the pyroptotic pathway. Moreover, treatment helps restore the intestinal barrier by supporting goblet cell regeneration and strengthening tight junctions. Molecular docking suggests that 6-bromoindole-3-acetonitrile binds stably to the active site of myeloperoxidase (MPO), with a binding energy of \u221218.1 kcal\/mol, offering a possible structural basis for its anti-inflammatory effects. Together, these findings point to a marine-derived compound that reduces both inflammation and pyroptosis, representing a promising strategy for treating ulcerative colitis. Notably, these results come from preclinical studies and need further validation in clinical settings.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods15101697","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,12]],"date-time":"2026-05-12T16:04:36Z","timestamp":1778601876000},"page":"1697","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["6-Bromoindole-3-acetonitrile Attenuates DSS-Induced Colitis by Inhibiting Epithelial Cell Pyroptosis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Da","family":"Hong","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Marine Food Processing & Safety Control, School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China"},{"name":"National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ximing","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Marine Food Processing & Safety Control, School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China"},{"name":"National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Zhihui","family":"Chang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Marine Food Processing & Safety Control, School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China"},{"name":"National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lushun","family":"Yuan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Vascular Surgery, Intervention Center, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 201620, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5872-8529","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ming","family":"Du","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Marine Food Processing & Safety Control, School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China"},{"name":"National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China"},{"name":"College of Food Science and Engineering, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2757-8008","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shuzhen","family":"Cheng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Marine Food Processing & Safety Control, School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China"},{"name":"National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"107790","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fbio.2025.107790","article-title":"Novel peptides identified from Stichopus japonicus mitigate DSS-induced colitis in mice via modulation of inflammatory cytokines and metabolic pathways","volume":"74","author":"Feng","year":"2025","journal-title":"Food Biosci."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"147256","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijbiomac.2025.147256","article-title":"Pleurotus citrinopileatus polysaccharides ameliorate DSS-induced ulcerative colitis by improving intestinal barrier and inflammation modulation via NF-\u03baB pathway","volume":"327","author":"Li","year":"2025","journal-title":"Int. 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