A Rapid Screening Method of Candidate Probiotics for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and the Anti-inflammatory Effect of the Selected Strain Bacillus smithii XY1

Systematic investigation on the pharmaceutical components and mechanism of the treatment against zebrafish enteritis by Sporisorium reilianum f. sp. reilianum based on histomorphology and pathology

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Sporisorium reilianum f. sp. reilianum (SSR) is a fungus isolated from a medicinal plant. Recorded in the "Compilation of National Chinese Herbal Medicine" and "Compendium of Materia Medica," it was used for preventing and treating intestinal diseases, enhancing immune function, etc. In this study, we investigated the chemical composition and bioactivity of SSR. Network pharmacology is utilized for predictive analysis and targeting pathway studies of anti-inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) mechanisms. Pharmacological activity against enteritis is evaluated using zebrafish (Danio rerio) as model animals.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To reveal the treatment of IBD by SSR used as traditional medicine and food, based on molecular biology identification of SSR firstly, and the pharmaceutical components & its toxicities, biological activity & mechanism of SSR were explored.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Using chromatography and zebrafish IBD model induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), nine compounds were first identified by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The toxicity of ethanol crude extract and monomers from SSR were evaluated by evaluating the phenotypic characteristics of zebrafish embryos and larvae, histomorphology and pathology of the zebrafish model guided by network pharmacology were conducted.

RESULTS

The zebrafish embryo development did not show toxicity. The molecular docking and enrichment pathway results predicted that metabolites 3 & 4 (N-trans- feruloyl-3-methoxytyramine & N-cis-feruloyl-3-methoxytyramine) and 7 & 8 (4-N- trans-p-coumaroyltyramine & 4-N-cis--p-coumaroyltyramine) have anti-enteritis activities. This paper lays an experimental foundation for developing new drugs and functional foods.

The potential of zebrafish as drug discovery research tool in immune-mediated inflammatory disease

Immune-mediated inflammatory disease (IMID) prevalence is estimated at 3-7% for Westernised populations, with annual incidence reported at almost 1 in 100 people globally. More recently, drug discovery approaches have been evolving towards more targeted therapies with an improved long-term safety profile, while the requirement for individualisation of medicine in complex conditions such as IMIDs, is acknowledged. However, existing preclinical models-such as cellular and in vivo mammalian models-are not ideal for modern drug discovery model requirements, such as real-time in vivo visualisation of drug effects, logistically feasible safety assessment over the course of a lifetime, or dynamic assessment of physiological changes during disease development. Zebrafish share high homology with humans in terms of proteins and disease-causing genes, with high conservation of physiological processes at organ, tissue, cellular and molecular level. These and other unique attributes, such as high fecundity, relative transparency and ease of genetic manipulation, positions zebrafish as the next major role player in IMID drug discovery. This review provides a brief overview of the suitability of this organism as model for human inflammatory disease and summarises the range of approaches used in zebrafish-based drug discovery research. Strengths and limitations of zebrafish as model organism, as well as important considerations in research study design, are discussed. Finally, under-utilised avenues for investigation in the IMID context are highlighted.

Quorum-Sensing Signal DSF Inhibits the Proliferation of Intestinal Pathogenic Bacteria and Alleviates Inflammatory Response to Suppress DSS-Induced Colitis in Zebrafish

The imbalance of gut microbiota is an important factor leading to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Diffusible signal factor (DSF) is a novel quorum-sensing signal that regulates bacterial growth, metabolism, pathogenicity, and host immune response. This study aimed to explore the therapeutic effect and underlying mechanisms of DSF in a zebrafish colitis model induced by sodium dextran sulfate (DSS). The results showed that intake of DSF can significantly improve intestinal symptoms in the zebrafish colitis model, including ameliorating the shortening of the intestine, reducing the increase in the goblet cell number, and restoring intestinal pathological damage. DSF inhibited the upregulation of inflammation-related genes and promoted the expression of claudin1 and occludin1 to protect the tightness of intestinal tissue. The gut microbiome analysis demonstrated that DSF treatment helped the gut microbiota of the zebrafish colitis model recover to normal at the phylum and genus levels, especially in terms of pathogenic bacteria; DSF treatment downregulated the relative abundance of Aeromonas hydrophila and Staphylococcus aureus, and it was confirmed in microbiological experiments that DSF could effectively inhibit the colonization and infection of these two pathogens in the intestine. This study suggests that DSF can alleviate colitis by inhibiting the proliferation of intestinal pathogens and inflammatory responses in the intestine. Therefore, DSF has the potential to become a dietary supplement that assists in the antibiotic and nutritional treatment of IBD.

FoxO signaling pathway stimulation by Bacillus smithii XY1 contributes to alleviating copper-induced neurotoxicity

Increasingly copper pollution in the environment exacerbates the risk of neurodegenerative diseases. It is necessary to look for effective targets and safe methods for protecting from copper-induced neurotoxicity. Here we firstly explored the impact of copper-exposure on expression profiles in zebrafish. Copper reduced embryo hatching, increased mortality and caused embryonic developmental abnormalities and behavioral dysfunction in juveniles. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that differential genes related to neuron were highly associated with oxidative stress especially enriched to FoxO pathway. Through further validation in Caenorhabditis elegans, copper resulted in nematode neurodegenerative movement disorders and neuronal damage, along with increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as well as decreased expressions of antioxidant-related enzymes and downstream genes which was also involved in FoxO signaling pathway. Bacillus smithii XY1, a novel strain with an excellent antioxidative activity, showed a great alleviative effect on copper-induced neurotoxicity that was related to FoxO stimulation, being a potential candidate for copper pollution management. Overall, these results suggested that FoxO pathway activation can regard as a strategy for mitigating neurotoxicity caused by copper and B. smithii XY1 with excellent tolerance and outstanding antioxidation specially targeted for FoxO has a promising application in controlling copper contamination.

Probiotic characterization of Bacillus smithii: Research advances, concerns, and prospective trends

Bacillus smithii is a thermophilic Bacillus that can be isolated from white wine, hot spring soil, high-temperature compost, and coffee grounds, with various biofunctions and wide applications. It is resistant to both gastric acid and high temperature, which makes it easier to perform probiotic effects than traditional commercial probiotics, so it can maintain good vitality during food processing and has great application prospects. This paper starts with the taxonomy and genetics and focuses on aspects, including genetic transformation, functional enzyme production, waste utilization, and application in the field of food science as a potential probiotic. According to available studies during the past 30 years, we considered that B. smithii is a novel class of microorganisms with a wide range of functional enzymes such as hydrolytic enzymes and hydrolases, as well as resistance to pathogenic bacteria. It is available in waste degradation, organic fertilizer production, the feed and chemical industries, the pharmaceutical sector, and food fortification. Moreover, B. smithii has great potentials for applications in the food industry, as it presents high resistance to the technological processes that guarantee its health benefits. It is also necessary to systematically evaluate the safety, flavor, and texture of B. smithii and explore its biological mechanism of action, which is of great value for further application in multiple fields, especially in food and medicine.

The alleviative effect of C-phycocyanin peptides against TNBS-induced inflammatory bowel disease in zebrafish via the MAPK/Nrf2 signaling pathways

INTRODUCTION

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an incurable and highly complex chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affecting millions of people worldwide. C-phycocyanin (C-PC) has been reported to possess outstanding anti-inflammatory activities and can effectively inhibit various inflammation-related diseases. Whether C-PC-derived bioactive peptides can inhibit intestinal inflammation is worth research and consideration.

METHODS

The inhibition activities of three anti-neuroinflammatory peptides were evaluated using 2-4-6-trinitrobenzen sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced zebrafish colitis model. Subsequently, the abilities of peptides to promote gastrointestinal motility were also examined. The changes in the intestinal pathological symptoms and ultrastructure of intestinal, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and antioxidant enzymes were then determined after co-treatment with peptides and TNBS. Transcriptome analysis was used to investigate the underlying ameliorating TNBS-induced colitis effects molecular mechanisms of better activity peptide. Furthermore, quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and molecular docking techniques verified the mRNA sequencing results.

RESULTS

Three peptides, MHLWAAK, MAQAAEYYR and MDYYFEER, which significantly inhibit macrophage migration, were synthesized. The results showed that these peptides could effectively alleviate the inflammatory responses in the TNBS-induced zebrafish model of colitis. In addition, co-treatment with TNBS and C-PC peptides could decrease ROS production and increase antioxidant enzyme activities in zebrafish larvae. Moreover, MHLWAAK had the most significantly therapeutic effects on colitis in zebrafish. The transcriptome analysis suggests that the effect of MHLWAAK on TNBS-induced colitis may be associated with the modulation of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway associated genes. In addition, molecular docking was conducted to study the prospective interaction between peptides and the key proteins that streamline the Nrf2 and MAPK signaling pathways. IL-6, JNK3, TNF-α, KEAP1-NRF2 complex and MAPK may be the core targets of MHLWAAK in treating colitis.

CONCLUSION

The results suggested that the three C-PC-derived peptides could ameliorate TNBS-induced colitis in zebrafish, and these peptides might be a promising therapeutic candidate for UC treatment.

Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis LKM512 Alleviates Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Larval Zebrafish by Reshaping Microbiota

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a worldwide issue, and the increased incidence has brought a heavy burden to patients and society. Gut microbiota is involved in the pathogenesis of IBD, and targeting the microbiota, such as probiotics, has emerged as a potential therapy for the treatment of IBD. Here, the effect of Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis LKM512 (LKM512), an anti-aging probiotic, on dextran sulfate sodium salt (DSS)-induced IBD in larval zebrafish was determined. Supplementation of LKM512 promoted the survival rate of the larvae, together with increased locomotor activities and body length. In addition, LKM512 treatment enhanced mucus secretion and alleviated intestinal injury, and these results were associated with the upregulation of mucin-related and downregulation of inflammatory markers. Moreover, LKM512 increased the diversity of the microbiota and ameliorated the dysbiosis by increasing the abundance of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes and reducing the abundance of Proteobacteria. Specifically, the abundance of beneficial bacteria, including the short-chain fatty-acids (SCFAs)-producing genera Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, Muribaculaceae, and Alloprevotella, was increased by LKM512, while the abundance of harmful genera, such as Pseudomonas, Halomonas, and Escherichia-Shigella, was reduced by LKM512. Consistent with these findings, the microbial functions related to metabolism were partly reversed by LKM512, and importantly, fermentation of short-chain fatty acids-related functions were enhanced by LKM512. Therefore, LKM512 might be one potential probiotic for the prevention and treatment of IBD, and further studies that clarify the mechanism of LKM512 would promote the application of LKM512.

Pharmacomicrobiomics of Classical Immunosuppressant Drugs: A Systematic Review

The clinical response to classical immunosuppressant drugs (cIMDs) is highly variable among individuals. We performed a systematic review of published evidence supporting the hypothesis that gut microorganisms may contribute to this variability by affecting cIMD pharmacokinetics, efficacy or tolerability. The evidence that these drugs affect the composition of intestinal microbiota was also reviewed. The PubMed and Scopus databases were searched using specific keywords without limits of species (human or animal) or time from publication. One thousand and fifty five published papers were retrieved in the initial database search. After screening, 50 papers were selected to be reviewed. Potential effects on cIMD pharmacokinetics, efficacy or tolerability were observed in 17/20 papers evaluating this issue, in particular with tacrolimus, cyclosporine, mycophenolic acid and corticosteroids, whereas evidence was missing for everolimus and sirolimus. Only one of the papers investigating the effect of cIMDs on the gut microbiota reported negative results while all the others showed significant changes in the relative abundance of specific intestinal bacteria. However, no unique pattern of microbiota modification was observed across the different studies. In conclusion, the available evidence supports the hypothesis that intestinal microbiota could contribute to the variability in the response to some cIMDs, whereas data are still missing for others.

Recent updates on correlation between reactive oxygen species and synbiotics for effective management of ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is presently considered a multifactorial pathology, which may lead to persistent inflammatory action of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) because of an improperly managed immunological reactivity to the intestinal microbiota found in the GIT. The immune response to common commensal microbes plays an essential role in intestinal inflammation related to UC synbiotics, and it is an important element in the optimal therapy of UC. Therefore, synbiotics, i.e., a mixture of prebiotics and probiotics, may help control the diseased state. Synbiotics alleviate the inflammation of the colon by lowering the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and improving the level of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Prebiotic supplementation is not a common practice at the moment, despite numerous research findings proving that the benefits of both probiotics and prebiotics encourage their continued existence and positioning in the GIT, with positive effects on human health by managing the inflammatory response. However, the fact that there have been fewer studies on the treatment of UC with different probiotics coupled with selected prebiotics, i.e., synbiotics, and the outcomes of these studies have been very favorable. This evidence-based study explores the possible role of ROS, SOD, and synbiotics in managing the UC. The proposed review also focuses on the role of alteration of gut microbiota, antioxidant defense in the gastrointestinal tract, and the management of UC. Thus, the current article emphasizes oxidative stress signaling in the GI tract, oxidative stress-based pathomechanisms in UC patients, and UC therapies inhibiting oxidative stress' effects.

Probiotics for the treatment of ulcerative colitis: a review of experimental research from 2018 to 2022

Ulcerative colitis (UC) has become a worldwide public health problem, and the prevalence of the disease among children has been increasing. The pathogenesis of UC has not been elucidated, but dysbiosis of the gut microbiota is considered the main cause of chronic intestinal inflammation. This review focuses on the therapeutic effects of probiotics on UC and the potential mechanisms involved. In animal studies, probiotics have been shown to alleviate symptoms of UC, including weight loss, diarrhea, blood in the stool, and a shortened colon length, while also restoring intestinal microecological homeostasis, improving gut barrier function, modulating the intestinal immune response, and attenuating intestinal inflammation, thereby providing theoretical support for the development of probiotic-based microbial products as an adjunctive therapy for UC. However, the efficacy of probiotics is influenced by factors such as the bacterial strain, dose, and form. Hence, the mechanisms of action need to be investigated further. Relevant clinical trials are currently lacking, so the extension of animal experimental findings to clinical application requires a longer period of consideration for validation.

Bacillus coagulans (Weizmannia coagulans) XY2 attenuates Cu-induced oxidative stress via DAF-16/FoxO and SKN-1/Nrf2 pathways and gut microbiota regulation

Copper (Cu) pollution has become a serious environmental problem especially in recent decades. In this study, the mechanisms of Bacillus coagulans (Weizmannia coagulans) XY2 against Cu-induced oxidative stress were explored through a dual model. In mice, Cu disturbed microbial community structure, revealing an increased level of Enterorhabdus abundance and decreased levels of Intestinimonas, Faecalibaculu, Ruminococcaceae and Coriobacteriaceae_UCG-002 abundance. Meanwhile, B. coagulans (W. coagulans) XY2 intervention reversed this trend along with alleviated Cu-induced metabolic disturbances by increasing levels of hypotaurine and L-glutamate and declining levels of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. In Caenorhabditis elegans, nuclear translocation of DAF-16 and SKN-1 was inhibited by Cu, which in turn suppressed antioxidant-related enzymes activities. XY2 mitigated biotoxicity associated with oxidative damage caused by Cu exposure via regulating DAF-16/FoxO and SKN-1/Nrf2 pathways and intestinal flora to eliminate excess ROS. Our study provides a theoretical basis formulating future strategy of probiotics against heavy metal contamination.

Bacillus coagulans XY2 ameliorates copper-induced toxicity by bioadsorption, gut microbiota and lipid metabolism regulation

Excessive copper pollutes the environment and endangers human health, attracting plenty of global attention. In this study, a novel strain named Bacillus coagulans XY2 was discovered to have a great copper tolerance and adsorption capacity. B. coagulans XY2 might maintain copper homeostasis through multisystem synergies of copper resistance, sulfur metabolism, Fe-S cluster assembly, and siderophore transport. In mice, by promoting the expression of SREBF-1 and SREBF-2 and their downstream genes, B. coagulans XY2 significantly inhibited the copper-induced decrease in weight growth rate, ameliorated dyslipidemia, restored total cholesterol and triglyceride contents both in serum and liver. Furthermore, B. coagulans XY2 recovered the diversity of gut microbiota and suppressed the copper-induced reduction in the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidota. Serum metabolomics analysis showed that the alleviating effect of B. coagulans XY2 on copper toxicity was mainly related to lipid metabolism. For the first time, we demonstrated mechanisms of copper toxicity mitigation by B. coagulans XY2, which was related to self-adsorption, host copper excretion promotion, and lipid metabolism regulation. Moreover, working model of B. coagulans XY2 on copper homeostasis was predicted by whole-genome analysis. Our study provides a new solution for harmfulness caused by copper both in human health and the environment.

Alleviative effects of a novel strain Bacillus coagulans XY2 on copper-induced toxicity in zebrafish larvae

Copper (Cu) is a kind of micronutrient element that is essential for human metabolism. However, it is also considered as an environmental pollutant which is toxic to organisms at a high concentration level. Probiotics, regarded as beneficial microorganisms for promoting human health, have functions of antioxidant capacity, immune-enhancing properties, intestinal barrier protection and regulation. Several studies have reported that probiotics show positive effects on alleviating and intervening heavy metals toxicity. However, evidence for relieving copper-induced toxicity by probiotics is still limited. In this study, we firstly conducted a zebrafish larvae model to screen out microorganisms which are helpful for CuSO₄ toxicity resistance and one novel strain named as Bacillus coagulans XY2 was discovered with the best protective activity. B. coagulans XY2 significantly reduced the mortality of zebrafish larvae exposed to 10 µmol/L CuSO₄ for 96 hr, as well as alleviated the neutrophils infiltration in the larvae lateral line under a 2 hr exposure. B. coagulans XY2 exhibited a high in vitro antioxidant activity and against CuSO₄-induced oxidative stress in zebrafish larvae by up-regulating sod1, gstp1 and cat gene transcriptional levels and relevant enzymatic activities. CuSO₄ stimulated the inflammation process resulting in obvious increases of gene il-1β and il-10 transcription, which were suppressed by B. coagulans XY2 intervention. Overall, our results underline the bio-function of B. coagulans XY2 on protecting zebrafish larvae from copper toxicity, suggesting the potential application values of probiotics in copper toxicity alleviation on human and the environment.

Dynamic Changes in Gut Microbiome of Ulcerative Colitis: Initial Study from Animal Model

Background

An animal model of DSS-induced UC has been widely used in basic research, and the dysbiosis of gut microbiome is one of the important pathogenetic mechanisms of DSS-induced UC, but its dynamic changes and correlation with inflammatory factors are not clear yet.

Methods

Clinical signs and tissue damage degree of C57BL/6 ulcerative colitis mice model induced by different concentrations of DSS were compared with that of normal mice, and finally the optimal concentration of DSS was determined. Then we analyzed the sequencing results of gut microbiome and inflammatory factors to determine the dynamic patterns of gut microbiome and their correlation with the inflammatory factors.

Results

DSS at 2.5% and 3.0% concentration could cause intestinal injury and induce colitis. However, 3.0% DSS resulted in higher mortality. In addition, there were dynamic changes of gut microbiome in DSS-induced UC model: the relative abundance of intestinal flora increased first and then decreased in Bacteroides, Parabacteroides, Romboutsia, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group, norank_f_norank_o_Clostridia_UCG-014, Parasutterella, and decreased first and then increased in Lactobacillus, Muribaculum, norank_f_Muribaculaceae, in addition, Bifidobacterium, Coriobacteriaceae_UCG-002 and Enterorhabdus did not change in the first 14 days but increased significantly on day 21. Moreover, inflammatory cytokines were closely associated with the imbalance of the intestinal microbiota in mice with UC: most pathogenic bacteria in the intestinal tract of the UC animal model were positively correlated with pro-inflammatory factors and negatively correlated with anti-inflammatory factors, while beneficial bacteria were the opposite.

Conclusion

Intestinal microecology plays an important role in DSS-induced UC model, and the relative abundance of gut microbiome changes dynamically in the occurrence and development of ulcerative colitis.

The Gram-Negative Bacilli Isolated from Caves-Sphingomonas paucimobilis and Hafnia alvei and a Review of Their Involvement in Human Infections

The opportunistic infections with Gram-negative bacilli are frequently reported. The clinical studies are focused on the course of human infectious and very often the source of infection remain unclear. We aim to see if the Gram-negative bacilli isolated from a non-contaminated environment—the caves—are reported in human infections. Eleven samples were collected from six Romanian caves. We used the standard procedure used in our clinical laboratory for bacterial identification and for antibiotic susceptibility testing of the cave isolates. Out of the 14 bacterial strains, three isolates are Gram-negative bacilli—one isolate belong to Hafnia alvei and two strains belong to Sphingomonas paucimobilis. We screened for the published studies—full-text original articles or review articles—that reported human infections with S. paucimobilis and H. alvei. Data sources—PubMed and Cochrane library. We retrieved 447 cases from 49 references—262 cases (58.61%) are S. paucimobilis infections and 185 cases (41.39%) are H. alvei infections. The types of infections are diverse but there are some infections more frequent; there are 116 cases (44.27%) and many infections of the bloodstream with S. paucimobilius (116 cases) and 121 cases (65.41%) are urinary tract infections with H. alvei. The acquired source of the bloodstream infections is reported for 93 of S. paucimobilis bloodstream infections—50 cases (43%) are hospital-acquired, and 40 cases (37%) are community-acquired. Most of the infections are reported in patients with different underlying conditions. There are 80 cases (17.9%) are reported of previously healthy persons. Out of the 72 cases of pediatric infections, 62 cases (86.11%) are caused by S. paucimobilis. There are ten death casualties—three are H. alvei infections, and seven are S. paucimobilis infections.