Effect of oral Saccharomyces boulardii treatment on the activity of Clostridium difficile toxins in mouse digestive tract.
Human antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and pseudomembranous colitis are partly due to toxin production by Clostridium difficile. It is now well documented that Saccharomyces boulardii protects against C. difficile induced diseases. In an attempt to understand better the mechanism of this protective effect, the action of S. boulardii on a crude toxin preparation was studied in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that the yeast had no effect on the toxins in vitro but was able to protect mice inoculated with these toxins. Furthermore, the observation by scanning electron microscopy that the mucosa of S. boulardii protected mice was not damaged suggest that the yeast mainly acts on the intestinal mucosa.
Corthier
G
G
Unité d'Ecologie et de Physiologie du Système Digestif, Jouy-en-Josas, France.
Lucas
F
F
Jouvert
S
S
Castex
F
F
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D004066:Digestive System Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D012440:Saccharomyces / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; C031815:toxB protein, Clostridium difficile