Long-term exclusive enteral nutrition remodels gut microbiota and alleviates TNBS-induced colitis in mice

Exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) provides an effective strategy for the induction of clinical remission in pediatric Crohn’s disease. However, the feasibility of long-term EEN in management of disease and the...

Dietary triggers of gut inflammation following exclusive enteral nutrition in children with Crohn’s disease: a pilot study

Background The anti-inflammatory effect of exclusive enteral nutrition on the gut of children with Crohn’s disease is rapidly lost after food reintroduction. This study assessed disease dietary triggers following successful treatment with exclusive enteral nutrition. Methods Nutrient intake, dietary patterns and dietary biomarkers in faeces (gluten immunogenic peptides, undigestible starch, short chain fatty acids) were assessed in 14 children with Crohn’s disease during early food reintroduction, following exclusive enteral nutrition. Groups above (Group A) and below (Group B) the median levels of faecal calprotectin after food reintroduction were assigned for comparative analysis. Results Intakes of fibre, gluten-containing cereals and red and processed meat were significantly higher in Group A than Group B; (median [Q1, Q3], g/day; Fibre: 12.1 [11.2, 19.9] vs. 9.9 [7.6, 12.1], p = 0.03; Red and processed meat: 151 [66.7, 190] vs. 63.3 [21.7, 67], p = 0.02; gluten-containing cereals: 289 [207, 402] vs. 203 [61, 232], p = 0.035). A diet consisting of cereals and meat products was predictive (92% accuracy) of higher faecal calprotectin levels after food reintroduction. In faeces, butyrate levels, expressed as absolute concentration and relative abundance, were higher in Group A than Group B by 28.4 µmol/g (p = 0.015) and 6.4% (p = 0.008), respectively. Levels of gluten immunogenic peptide and starch in faeces did not differ between the two groups. Conclusions This pilot study identified potential dietary triggers of gut inflammation in children with Crohn’s disease after food reintroduction following treatment with exclusive enteral nutrition. Trial registration: Clinical trials.gov registration number: NCT02341248; Clinical trials.gov URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02341248 (retrospectively registered).

Induction of Remission in Pediatric Crohn’s Disease Patients Assessed by the Mucosal Inflammation Noninvasive Index

Mucosal healing (MH) is the main therapeutic goal of Crohn’s disease (CD). The Mucosal Inflammation Noninvasive Index (MINI) appears to be a promising tool for distinguishing MH from its inflammation. This study aims to evaluate MINI in monitoring remissions induced by exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) in pediatric CD patients. Out of 55 newly diagnosed CD children, 31 who completed 6–8 weeks of EEN were analyzed. Clinical and biochemical data, activity of CD assessed with the Pediatric Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (PCDAI) and MINI were compared within seven days pre- and post-EEN. Response to induction therapy was defined as a decrease of PCDAI by >12.5 points. The follow-up was performed up to 12 months after EEN termination. Out of 31 children who completed 6–8 weeks of EEN, eight required corticosteroids in addition to EEN. Twenty-four patients (77%) responded to induction therapy. In responders, MINI decreased from 19 (Q1:17; Q3:22) to 12 (Q1:6; Q3:14), p < 0.001. The diagnostic accuracy of post-EEN MINI and post-EEN fecal calprotectin (FC) for treatment failure were AUC: 0.899 (95%CI: 0.737–1.000) and 0.762 (95%CI: 0.570–0.954), respectively. In the follow-up of 25 patients (80.6%), the post-EEN MINI of ≥13 points predicted CD relapse (87.5% sensitivity; 64.7% specificity), while FC had no prognostic value. MINI allows for monitoring of EEN and is superior in predicting disease relapse to FC.

Effectiveness of Crohn’s Disease Exclusion Diet for Induction of Remission in Crohn’s Disease Adult Patients

Exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) is a first-line treatment in active, mild to moderate Crohn’s disease (CD) in children. The Crohn’s disease exclusion diet (CDED), which avoids products known to have a pro-inflammatory effect on the intestinal mucosa, presents similar effectiveness to EEN for inducing remission in the paediatric population. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the CDED in inducing remission in adult patients. Between March 2020 and May 2021, 32 patients in a gastroenterology outpatient centre were treated according to the assumptions of the CDED. The patients were seen at baseline, at week 6, and at week 12 of the study. During the visits, anthropometric measurements and laboratory tests were performed, Crohn’s disease activity index (CDAI) was calculated, and the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ) was completed. The study included a total of 32 participants, 18 women (56.3%) and 14 men (43.7%). Clinical remission was obtained in 76.7% patients after 6 weeks and in 82.1% after 12 weeks of therapy. Calprotectin levels were significantly lower in the second follow-up compared with baseline (p = 0.021). The CDED is an effective therapy for inducing remission in the adult CD population.

Exclusive Enteral Nutrition Plus Immediate vs. Delayed Washed Microbiota Transplantation in Crohn's Disease With Malnutrition: A Randomized Pilot Study

Background: The potential of washed microbiota transplantation (WMT) in Crohn's disease (CD) has been reported. This study aimed to explore the suitable timing of WMT in patients with CD complicated with malnutrition.Methods: This is a randomized, open-label study. Patients with active CD complicated with malnutrition were included and 1:1 randomized to undergo WMT at day 1 (group WMT-DAY1) or day 8 (group WMT-DAY8). The observation duration was 15 days. Exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) was administered in both groups. The primary outcome was the improvement in nutritional parameters at day 8 and day 15 in two groups. The secondary outcome was the rate of clinical remission at day 15 in two groups.Results: Totally 19 patients completed the trial. At day 8, the lymphocyte count, albumin and prealbumin increased significantly compared to those at day 1 in group WMT-DAY1 (p = 0.018, p = 0.028, p = 0.028, respectively), while no significant increase in any nutritional parameter was shown in group WMT-DAY8. At day 15, albumin increased significantly compared to that at day 1 in both groups (p &lt; 0.05), while significant increase in prealbumin was only shown in group WMT-DAY1 (p = 0.004) compared to that at day 1. The rate of clinical remission at day 15 in group WMT-DAY1 and group WMT-DAY8 was 87.5% (7/8) and 72.7% (8/11), respectively (p = 0.603).Conclusion: EEN combined with immediate WMT intervention could rapidly improve the nutritional status and induce clinical remission in malnourished patients with CD.Clinical Trial Registration:www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT02897661.