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Study · Microbiome · 2025Conflicts declared

Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose and acute pancreatitis in mice

Feng Y, Chen W, Chen J, et al · Free full text

What it found

In mice, drinking a 1% solution of carboxymethylcellulose for four weeks worsened induced acute pancreatitis by changing gut bacteria.

In 54 people with pancreatitis, lower levels of one helpful gut bacterium matched more severe illness.

What they found

Studies in people

Link seen in people

In 54 people with acute pancreatitis, those with moderate or severe disease had less Akkermansia muciniphila in their stool than those with mild disease. Lower amounts of this bacterium tracked with worse illness scores and higher inflammation markers.

Animal and lab studies

Worse pancreatitis in mice

Mice that drank the 1% carboxymethylcellulose solution for four weeks had heavier pancreases, more tissue damage, and higher levels of inflammatory markers in their blood when pancreatitis was triggered. This was compared to mice that drank plain water.

Gut bacteria changes

The emulsifier changed the mix of gut bacteria in the mice. It lowered helpful bacteria, including Akkermansia muciniphila, and raised potentially harmful types. Moving gut bacteria from treated mice into untreated mice passed on the worse pancreatitis symptoms.

Immune cell shifts

Lab tests on mouse blood showed a rise in classical monocytes, which are immune cells that drive inflammation. A leaky gut barrier let bacterial toxins into the bloodstream, which pushed these cells into an active state.

Butyrate and bacteria supplements

Giving mice extra butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid, or extra Akkermansia muciniphila bacteria reduced the harm caused by the emulsifier. Both treatments helped repair the gut lining and lowered the number of active inflammatory cells in the blood.

What the authors conclude

  • They conclude that carboxymethylcellulose worsens acute pancreatitis in mice by disrupting gut bacteria and weakening the gut lining.
  • Their results suggest that adding Akkermansia muciniphila or butyrate could help counteract these negative effects.
  • The authors advise that because this emulsifier is used so widely in processed foods, it may be a factor in the rising rates of acute pancreatitis.

How it was done

Carboxymethylcellulose is a common food emulsifier linked to long-term inflammation, but scientists did not know if it affects sudden inflammatory illnesses like acute pancreatitis. Cases of acute pancreatitis are rising alongside higher intake of heavily processed foods, so the authors wanted to see if this additive plays a part.

The researchers gave 32 mice either plain water or a 1% carboxymethylcellulose solution for four weeks, then triggered acute pancreatitis. They also moved gut bacteria from those mice into other mice to see if the effects transferred. Separately, they checked the gut bacteria of 54 people admitted to hospital with acute pancreatitis.

What it can’t tell you

  • These experiments were done mostly in mice, so they cannot show what happens in people who eat this emulsifier.
  • The human part of the work only looked at people who already had pancreatitis, so it can show a link but cannot prove the emulsifier caused their illness.

The paper

Title
Dietary emulsifier carboxymethylcellulose-induced gut dysbiosis and SCFA reduction aggravate acute pancreatitis through classical monocyte activation
Type
Study
Evidence
Studies in people · animals · lab
Summarised from
Full text
Cite
Feng Y, Chen W, Chen J, et al (2025). Dietary emulsifier carboxymethylcellulose-induced gut dysbiosis and SCFA reduction aggravate acute pancreatitis through classical monocyte activation. Microbiome. doi:10.1186/s40168-025-02074-1Free full textPubMed 40128912DOI

Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error