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Excessive and improper use of antibiotics throughout the years has substantially increased the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in bacterial strains. The development of resistance may result in treatment failure and poses a great risk for both human and animal health.

Furthermore, transmission of zoonotic agents such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella enterica (S. enterica) from animals to humans compose another significant health hazard. Both resistance development and zoonoses transmission threats can be more effectively tackled if “One health” approach is taken into account. The concept states that to overcome the potential health risks, human and veterinary medicine fields must work together in the prediction, prevention, detection, and management of threats, including finding practical solutions for antibiotic resistance by reduction and optimization of use.

Such possible solutions include finding potential antibiotics alternatives, which is crucial for combating antibiotic resistance. Among the potential alternatives, flavonoids, including luteolin, may provide a suitable substitute. Flavonoids are a family of secondary plant metabolites that possess various therapeutical properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anticancer activities.

The goal in our study was to examine the protective effect of luteolin in an in vitro model of porcine intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2 cell line) infected with E. coli and. S. enterica ser. Typhimurium of porcine origin. Cells were initially treated with either E. coli or S. Typhimurium alone and in combination with luteolin (25 or 50 µg/ml). Luteolin administration was implemented in three different methods, comparing the efficacy of pre-, parallel- and post-treatments. Then, the amount of intracellular reactive oxygen species (IC ROS) was measured with 2’,7’ dichloro-dihydro-fluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) reagent. The pro-inflammatory interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels were determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the anti-adhesive effect was assessed by colony forming unit (CFU) count.

The results of the study showed that luteolin was capable to reduce the levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory markers in the bacteria-inoculated porcine intestinal epithelial cells. However, there was no significant effect on E. coli or S. Typhimurium adherence to the above-mentioned cells.

Based on our results, luteolin may provide a reasonable option for the prevention and treatment of porcine infectious intestinal diseases, although further studies, both in vivo and in vitro, are required to support their incorporation in the therapeutic protocols.