Oligosaccharides isolated from goat milk reduce intestinal inflammation in a rat model of dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis.
OBJECTIVE
There is increased interest in the study of manipulation of the flora with pro- and prebiotics regarding inflammatory bowel disease. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of oligosaccharides from goat milk in a rat model of dextran sodium sulfate- (DSS-) induced colitis.


METHODS
Twenty rats were fed the same diet but with different sources of fiber (5% of the diet): cellulose or a mixture of goat's milk oligosaccharides (GMO) and cellulose. DSS treatment was used to induce a colonic inflammation. Several clinical and inflammatory parameters, as well as intestinal micorbiota and gene expression by DNA microarray technology, were evaluated.


RESULTS
DSS induced a decrease in body weight which was not observed in rats fed the GMO (decrease of 21+/-11% in control rats vs increase of 5.2+/-8.6 in GMO rats, P<0.05). DSS also caused an acute colonic inflammatory process which was weaker in rats fed the GMO, as shown by colon myeloperoxidase activity (0.53+/-0.16 vs 0.14+/-0.07U/mg of protein, P<0.05), as well as clinical symptoms measured by a scoring system (1.25+/-1.14 vs 0.4+/-0.07, P<0.05). GMO rats also showed less severe colonic lesions and a more favorable intestinal microbiota. The expression of genes involved in intestinal function, such as mucine-3, was down-regulated in DSS-control rats but returned to normal values in GMO rats.


CONCLUSIONS
GMO reduce intestinal inflammation and contribute to the recovery of damaged colonic mucosa.
Lara-Villoslada
Federico
F
Department of Immunology and Animal Sciences. PULEVA BIOTECH, S.A. Camino de Purchil no. 66, 18004 Granada, Spain. flara@pulevabiotech.es
Debras
Elisabeth
E
Nieto
Ana
A
Concha
Angel
A
Gálvez
Julio
J
López-Huertas
Eduardo
E
Boza
Julio
J
Obled
Christiane
C
Xaus
Jordi
J
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D003092:Colitis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003106:Colon / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D016264:Dextran Sulfate; D004032:Diet; D005232:Fatty Acids, Volatile / Q000032:analysis; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005978:Glutathione / Q000032:analysis; D006041:Goats; D007249:Inflammation / Q000235:genetics; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009929:Organ Size; D009195:Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D005232:Fatty Acids, Volatile; D009844:Oligosaccharides; D016264:Dextran Sulfate; D009195:Peroxidase; D005978:Glutathione