Effect of a cocoa diet on the small intestine and gut-associated lymphoid tissue composition in an oral sensitization model in rats

Previous studies have attributed to the cocoa powder the capacity to attenuate the immune response in a rat oral sensitization model. To gain a better understanding of cocoa-induced mechanisms at small intestinal level, three-week-old female Lewis rats were fed either a standard diet or a diet containing 10% cocoa for four weeks with or without concomitant oral sensitization with ovalbumin (OVA). Thereafter, we evaluated the lymphocyte composition of the Peyer's patches (PPL), small intestine epithelium (IEL) and lamina propria (LPL).

Source: The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry - January 22, 2017 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Mariona Camps-Bossacoma, Francisco J. P érez-Cano, Àngels Franch, Eva Untersmayr, Margarida Castell Source Type: research