## 4 Discussion  
DSW offers several health benefits, including anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, and anti-immune properties [26; 27; 28; 29]. However, the potential effect of DSW on weakening the intestinal inflammatory response has not been thoroughly investigated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to show that mineral-rich DSW-derived water improves intestinal barrier function and exerts anti-inflammatory activity in the intestinal system. Most previous studies have determined that the primary functional health benefits of DSW arise from its mineral content [20; 21; 22; 23; 24; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29]. Herein, we sought to investigate whether trace minerals, such as selenium and zinc, or the main minerals, magnesium and calcium, account for the beneficial effects of DSW. To this end, we divided the DSW-derived mineral water into four groups: TM (Trace Mineral) contained only the trace mineral and removed magnesium and calcium, which are the main mineral of DSW; HM (High Magnesium) water was high in magnesium known to be effective in suppressing inflammation; HMLS (High Magnesium Low salt) contained lower magnesium and sodium than HM and had same calcium:magnesium ratio as DSW; and HMHC (High Magnesium High Calcium) was HMLS-based water with additional calcium salt added. It was decided that the water samples would have low sodium content since DSW is difficult to drink due to its high sodium content [38]. In addition, sodium-rich water can cause dehydration, and, in extreme conditions, it can be fatal. Moreover, high sodium content increases the incidence of inflammation [39; 40]. Therefore, the sodium contents of every sample water were lowered to a level acceptable for drinking via electrodialysis. For the control medium prepared with distilled water, the osmotic pressure was 285.25 mOsmol/L. The osmotic pressures of the medium prepared with DSW-derived mineral water were TM 289.66 mOsmol/L, HM 324.18 mOsmol/L, HMLS 321.08 mOsmol/L, and HMHC 331.76 mOsmol/L. Compared to the composition of the medium, the molar concentration of minerals added to the mineral water did not differ significantly. The role of bicarbonate and phosphate in the medium was to buffer osmotic pressure, thereby minimizing the damage to cells caused by osmotic pressure [41]. Intestinal inflammation was mimicked in Caco-2 cells in vitro by coculturing with Raw264.7 cells and LPS treatment [30]. LPS activates the NF-\(\kappa\)B pathway in Raw264.7 cells, inducing the production of NO and inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-\(\alpha\) and IL-6, in these cells, which then reduces the barrier function of Caco-2 through a shared medium. The inflammatory cytokines then bind to TJ in the Caco-2 monolayer and effectively reduce the electrical resistance in the epithelium, indicating effective model establishment [42; 43]. Furthermore, rather than exposing immune cells and intestinal cells to single cytokines, exposure to multiple can elicit more complex biological responses [44]. In the case of TEER, the higher is the resistance value, the stronger is the TJ between cells, resulting in higher resistance and an improved physiological state. In the case of the FD-4 flux assay,