Krill Oil May Support Gut Barrier Health in a Mouse Model of Chronic Colitis

This study used a mouse model that spontaneously develops chronic colitis, a condition similar to human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), to test whether krill oil could help protect the gut lining. Mice received krill oil alone, a steroid medication (dexamethasone), a combination of both, or a saline control for 28 days.

Both krill oil and the steroid reduced signs of disease severity and gut tissue damage, and all treatments helped restore the normal barrier function of the intestinal lining, which is often disrupted in colitis. When krill oil was combined with the steroid, the effect on strengthening tight junctions (the connections between gut cells that keep the barrier intact) was even more pronounced.

Looking at gene activity in the gut tissue, the researchers found that krill oil changed the expression of genes involved in maintaining the intestinal barrier and controlling cell adhesion molecules—proteins that help direct immune cells to sites of inflammation. The combination of krill oil and the steroid further influenced genes related to cell structure and reduced markers linked to immune cell recruitment.