Effect of Lactobacillus plantarum LP-Onlly on gut flora and colitis in interleukin-10 knockout mice.
OBJECTIVE
Probiotics are used in the therapy of inflammatory bowel disease. This study aimed to determine the effects of probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum LP-Onlly (LP) on gut flora and colitis in interleukin-10 knockout (IL-10(-/-) ) mice, a model of spontaneous colitis.


METHODS
IL-10(-/-) and wild-type mice were used at 8 weeks of age and LP by gavage was administered at a dose of 10(9) cells/day per mice for 4 weeks. Mice were maintained for another one week without LP treatment. The colonic tissues were collected for histological and ultrastructural analysis at death after 4 weeks treatment of LP, and the feces were collected at 1-week intervals throughout the experiment for the analysis of gut flora and LP using selective culture-based techniques.


RESULTS
Compared with control mice, IL-10(-/-) mice developed a severe intestinal inflammation and tissue damage, and had an abnormal composition of gut microflora. LP administration attenuated colitis with the decreased inflammatory scoring and histological injury in the colon of IL-10(-/-) mice. In addition, LP administration increased the numbers of beneficial total bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, and decreased the numbers of potential pathogenic enterococci and Clostridium perfringens, although the decrease of coliforms was not significant after LP treatment in IL-10(-/-) mice.


CONCLUSIONS
Oral administration of LP was effective in the treatment of colitis, with the direct modification of gut microflora in IL-10(-/-) mice. This probiotic strain could be used as a potential adjuvant in the therapy of inflammatory bowel disease, although further studies are required in human.
Department of Surgery, Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.
Yang
Y
Xia
Hong-Qi
HQ
Chen
Min
M
Zhang
Yan-Qun
YQ
Jiang
Xiao-Min
XM
Hang
Huan-Long
HL
Qin
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D001644:Bifidobacterium / Q000254:growth & development; D003016:Clostridium perfringens / Q000254:growth & development; D003092:Colitis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003106:Colon / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000254:growth & development; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics; D048191:Lactiplantibacillus plantarum / Q000254:growth & development*; D051379:Mice; D057507:Mice, 129 Strain; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D019936:Probiotics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors
C556062:IL10 protein, mouse; D016753:Interleukin-10