Peer-reviewed publication · Companion animals · In the lab
In laboratory cell models, a humic acid preparation reduced some inflammatory responses for 24 hours.
- Cell models
- No living animal studied
In cell culture, this humic acid briefly lowered one inflammatory signal from a dog's immune cells, and its effect on a pig intestinal cell barrier depended on how it was prepared.
Móritz et al., 7 January 2026. Animals 16(2):173.
Scope, material and route
- Studied
- IPEC-J2 porcine jejunal epithelial cells; peripheral blood mononuclear cells from one clinically healthy adult dog
- Design
- In vitro experiment, six wells per treatment and time point
- Material
- A water-insoluble activated leonardite derivative, 66.6 percent total humic acid, suspended in DMSO; sonicated and non-sonicated forms
- Route
- Added to cell culture
- Exposure
- 10 mg/mL in culture medium. Study exposure, not application guidance.
- Duration
- 24 and 48 hours
Study design
Pig intestinal cells
IPEC-J2 porcine jejunal epithelial cells. Not canine, and not from a living gut.
6 culture wellsPer treatment and time point.
- Cell viabilityNot reduced
- Barrier permeability, sonicated formNot raised
- Barrier permeability, non-sonicated formRaised at 48 hours
Dog immune cells
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from one clinically healthy adult dog, challenged with endotoxin.
6 culture wellsPer treatment and time point.
- TNF-α, 24 hoursReduced
- TNF-α, 48 hoursNo difference
- IL-6, 24 hoursA modest reduction, P < 0.1
- Reactive oxygen speciesNo significant change
More study details
- Research question
- Can humic acid protect intestinal barrier function and dampen inflammatory activation in cell models relevant to dogs?
- Comparator
- Untreated cells and endotoxin-only cells (no endotoxin-only control for the epithelial cells)
- Challenge
- Lipopolysaccharide from two Salmonella serovars, 10 µg/mL
- Outcomes measured
- Cell viability, paracellular permeability (FD4 flux), reactive oxygen species, TNF-α and IL-6
Findings
This laboratory study used pig intestinal epithelial cells and immune cells from one healthy dog to test a humic acid preparation, with and without bacterial endotoxin (LPS). Humic acid did not reduce cell viability. Sonicated humic acid did not increase barrier leakage, while the non-sonicated form increased it at 48 hours. In dog immune cells, humic acid reduced the TNF-α response to endotoxin at 24 hours, an effect gone by 48 hours; the IL-6 reduction was a trend only. The authors describe the work as proof of concept. The cells were not canine intestinal cells, and no living animal was studied, so no effect in dogs is established.
| Outcome | Comparison or result | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Cell viability | Not reduced in either cell type | No toxicity at this exposure in culture |
| Barrier permeability | Sonicated humic acid did not raise permeability; non-sonicated raised it at 48 hours | Preparation form changed the result |
| TNF-α with endotoxin | Reduced at 24 hours (P < 0.001); no difference at 48 hours (P = 0.826) | A transient effect |
| IL-6 with endotoxin | Modest reduction at 24 hours (P < 0.1); none at 48 hours | A trend, not a statistically supported effect |
| Reactive oxygen species with endotoxin | No significant change | No supported antioxidant effect under challenge |
Interpretation and limits
What this record supports
A short-lived reduction in TNF-α from dog immune cells challenged with endotoxin, for this preparation in culture.
What remains uncertain
- Living animals. No dog or cat was studied, and results in culture may not occur in the gut. No in-vivo study is currently included in this collection.
- Cell types. The intestinal cells were porcine, and the immune cells came from one donor dog.
- Reporting. The discussion describes IL-6 as significantly reduced, but the reported result is a trend; it also refers to healthy dogs, while the methods describe a single donor dog.
Which part of the framework it informs
Informs proposed mechanisms only. It is laboratory evidence, kept distinct from evidence of an effect in a living dog or cat. No in-vivo study is currently included in this collection.
Source, funding and review
- Source type
- Peer-reviewed publication
- Associated products
- This record does not assess an associated product.
- Funding and relationships
- Hungary's Recovery and Resilience Facility, National Recovery Fund (project RRF-2.3.1-21-2022-00001). The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The paper names the manufacturer of the preparation.
- Review status
- Prepared as an editorial summary. External scientific review has not been completed.
- What was read
- Full text read on PubMed Central.
- Original title
- Protective Effects of Humic Acid on Intestinal Barrier Dysfunction and Inflammatory Activation in Canine Cell-Based Models
- Authors
- Móritz AV, Farkas O, Jerzsele Á, Palkovicsné Pézsa N
- Publication
- Animals 16(2):173, 7 January 2026
- DOI
- 10.3390/ani16020173
- Summary prepared by
- Carbon Biome Project
- Date added
- 19 October 2026
- Cite this summary
- Carbon Biome Project. In laboratory cell models, a humic acid preparation reduced some inflammatory responses for 24 hours. Evidence library record, added 19 October 2026. carbonbiomeproject.com/evidence/moritz-2026-humic-acid-canine-cell-models/