Abstract

Deoxynivalenol (DON), a prevalent trichothecene mycotoxin, poses a global threat to the gut health of both humans and livestock. This study investigates the protective effects and underlying mechanisms of glucuronolactone (GLU) against DON-induced intestinal injury. In a piglet model, GLU effectively alleviated DON-induced intestinal injury and inflammation. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that GLU promotes mucin sulfation, a critical process for fortifying the intestinal mucus barrier. On the one hand, integrated microbiome and metabolomics analyses uncovered that GLU increased probiotic Lactobacillus amylovorus abundance and luminal indole-3-acetic acid level, thereby facilitating mucin sulfation. On the other hand, GLU itself directly boosted mucin sulfation in a microbiota-independent manner. Mechanistically, both the microbiota-dependent and -independent pathways through which GLU promoted mucin sulfation converged on the activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). Activated AHR transcriptionally up-regulated the expression of the sulfotransferase GAL3ST3 , which drove mucin sulfation. This study identifies GLU as a promising nutritional intervention against DON-induced intestinal injury and reveals AHR-mediated mucin sulfation as a vital mechanism for maintaining intestinal barrier homeostasis.