Folic acid supplementation on red kidney bean-induced diarrhoea and enteric bacterial translocation into mesenteric lymph nodes in rats: a pilot study.
Deaths following childhood diarrhoea, a major health problem in developing countries, are often associated with malnutrition and septicaemic complications. Folic acid has been used in the treatment of acute and chronic diarrhoea in the tropics. Using a rat model, we evaluated the protective effect of large doses of folic acid on diarrhoea, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and translocation of enteric bacteria into mesenteric lymph nodes induced by a raw red kidney bean-based diet containing lectin (phytohemagglutinin). Long-Evans rats in 2 groups of 5 each (60 g to 70 g in weight, 28 d old) were used. All 10 rats, individually kept in metabolic cages, received a raw red kidney bean-based diet for 10 d, and 5 of them also received a daily folic acid supplement (160 microg/g feed) both during and for 10 d before the experiment. The faecal weight was measured and a quantitative aerobic bacterial culture of the small intestinal mucosal scrapings and of the mesenteric lymph nodes was made. Folic acid supplementation did not reduce faecal output nor did it prevent loss of body weight associated with lectin-induced diarrhoea. However, the mean total count of enteric bacteria translocated to the mesenteric lymph nodes was significantly reduced in the supplemented rats (1.27 +/- 0.61 vs 2.66 +/- 0.84, p = 0.028) and a trend towards reduced bacterial count in the small intestinal mucosal scrapings (0.40 +/- 0.89 vs 1.42 +/- 1.31, p = 0.16) was documented. A significant positive correlation was also seen between the bacterial count in the jejunal mucosal scrapings and in the mesenteric lymph nodes.


CONCLUSIONS
Although large-dose folic acid supplementation did not prevent diarrhoea and malnutrition induced by a lectin-based diet, it substantially reduced the count of enteric bacteria translocated into the mesenteric lymph nodes and showed a trend towards a reduction in indigenous bacteria adhering to jejunal mucosa. These findings could be of relevance in the prevention of septicaemic complications following many clinical conditions, including diarrhoea with malnutrition in children known to have bacteraemic and septicaemic complications.
Shoda
R
R
Clinical Science Division, ICDDR,B Centre for Health and Population Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Mahalanabis
D
D
Islam
K N
KN
Wahed
M A
MA
Albert
M J
MJ
D000818:Animals; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D018988:Bacterial Translocation / Q000187:drug effects*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004032:Diet; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008643:Mesentery; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011336:Probability; D051381:Rats; D020332:Rats, Inbred LEC; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D005492:Folic Acid