Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) involves an interplay of gut microbiota, intestinal epithelium and immune responses. Recent data suggest that decreased mitochondrial gene function plays an active role in the pathophysiology of active colitis. Here, we test a novel agent (AuPhos) (Wempe et al., Abstract control ID: 3668199; Crohn’s and Colitis Congress, 2022) that mitigates disease severity in chronic colitis by enhancing mitochondrial function in the gut epithelium.