Effectiveness of Saccharomyces boulardii in a rat model of colitis

Use of Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 as therapeutic strategy for prevention of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced intestinal injury

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be associated with severe adverse digestive effects. This study examined the protective effects of the probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 in a rat model of diclofenac-induced enteropathy.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Enteropathy was induced in 40-week-old male rats by intragastric diclofenac (4 mg·kg-1 BID for 14 days). S. boulardii CNCM I-745 (3 g·kg-1 BID by oral gavage) was administered starting 14 days before (preventive protocol) or along with (curative protocol) diclofenac administration. Ileal damage, inflammation, barrier integrity, gut microbiota composition and toll-like receptors (TLRs)-nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) pathway were evaluated.

KEY RESULTS

Diclofenac elicited intestinal damage, along with increments of myeloperoxidase, malondialdehyde, tumour necrosis factor and interleukin-1β, overexpression of TLR2/4, myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (Myd88) and NF-κB p65, increased faecal calprotectin and butyrate levels, and decreased blood haemoglobin levels, occludin and butyrate transporter monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) expression. In addition, diclofenac provoked a shift of bacterial taxa in both faecal and ileal samples. Treatment with S. boulardii CNCM I-745, in both preventive and curative protocols, counteracted the majority of these deleterious changes. Only preventive administration of the probiotic counteracted NSAID-induced decreased expression of MCT1 and increase in faecal butyrate levels. Occludin expression, after probiotic treatment, did not significantly change.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Treatment with S. boulardii CNCM I-745 prevents diclofenac-induced enteropathy through anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Such effects are likely to be related to increased tissue butyrate bioavailability, through an improvement of butyrate uptake by the enteric mucosa.

Saccharomyces boulardii as therapeutic alternative in experimental giardiasis

AIMS

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of treatment with the probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii with or without metronidazole in experimental giardiasis.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The effect of treatment with S. boulardii with or without metronidazole on the intestinal mucosa, the antioxidant defence system and the parasitic load was determined in experimental giardiasis. Eight groups of animals with infection and/or treatment with the probiotic and/or drugs for 1 week after infection with Giardia lamblia were used. A reduction of approximately 90% in the parasitic load was observed in all the treated groups. Saccharomyces boulardii attenuated the damage caused by infection in the intestinal mucosa preserving its architecture and inhibiting the oxidative stress induced by parasite and metronidazole.

CONCLUSIONS

Saccharomyces boulardii was effective alone or in combination with metronidazole in resolving already established G. lamblia infection.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

These results suggest the use of S. boulardii as an alternative treatment for giardiasis mainly in cases of resistance or intolerance to conventional treatment.

Weissella paramesenteroides WpK4 ameliorate the experimental amoebic colitis by increasing the expression of MUC-2 and the intestinal epithelial regeneration

AIMS

This study evaluates the action of Weissella paramesenteroides WpK4 on amoebic colitis.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Weissella paramesenteroides WpK4 was administered in Entamoeba dispar infected and noninfected mice and clinical parameters were evaluated. Following 7 days, the caeca were collected for histopathology, morphometry and immunohistochemical staining of MUC-2, CDC-47 and IgA. The treatment reduced diarrhoea and the presence of blood in the faeces and diminished the area of necrosis, also causing weight gain. Also, the addition of this bacterium enhanced the expression of the mucin (MUC-2). The reduction in necrosis and increased CDC-47 expression indicates significant epithelial regeneration. The negative correlation between CDC-47 and the necrosis area reveals that the bacterium favoured the recovery of the necrotic regions and the positive correlation found between the expression of MUC-2 and CDC-47 indicates that the epithelial regeneration also supports the synthesis of MUC-2.

CONCLUSIONS

Weissella paramesenteroides WpK4 was able to increase the protection of the intestinal mucosa against experimental amoebic colitis through the increase of MUC-2 and epithelial regeneration.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Weissella paramesenteroides WpK4 presents the potential to become a complementary tool in the treatment of amoebic colitis.

Yeasts as probiotics: Mechanisms, outcomes, and future potential

The presence of commensal fungal species in the human gut indicates that organisms from this kingdom have the potential to benefit the host as well. Saccharomyces boulardii, a yeast strain isolated about a hundred years ago, is the most well-characterized probiotic yeast. Though for the most part it genetically resembles Saccharomyces cerevisiae, specific phenotypic differences make it better suited for the gut microenvironment such as better acid and heat tolerance. Several studies using animal hosts suggest that S. boulardii can be used as a biotherapeutic in humans. Clinical trials indicate that it can alleviate symptoms from gastrointestinal (GI) tract infections to some extent, but further trials are needed to understand the full therapeutic potential of S. boulardii. Improvement on probiotic function using engineered yeast is an attractive future direction, though genome modification tools for use in S. boulardii have been limited until recently. However, some tools available for S. cerevisiae should be applicable for S. boulardii as well. In this review, we summarize the observed probiotic effect of this yeast and the state of the art for genome engineering tools that could help enhance its probiotic properties.

Therapeutic effects of probiotic Clostridium butyricum WZ001 on bacterial vaginosis in mice

AIMS

To observe the therapeutic effects of vaginal infusion of probiotic Clostridium butyricum WZ001 on bacterial vaginosis (BV) in mice.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Female ICR mice were used to establish the model of BV by infecting oestrogen-treated mice with Escherichia coli, and then treated with high- and low dose of C. butyricum. Clinical indexes of mice in the C. butyricum-treated groups were significantly improved and comparable to those in the antibiotic group. Pap staining showed that neutrophil count was significantly increased after modelling and largely decreased after C. butyricum treatment (P < 0·01). Dynamic observation of E. coli and Lactobacillus showed that the number of E. coli significantly decreased in the C. butyricum-treated groups or in the antibiotic group with prolonged treatment (P < 0·01). Besides, the number of E. coli in the low-dose C. butyricum group was higher than that in either its high-dose counterpart or the antibiotic group respectively (P < 0·01). The number of Lactobacillus decreased evidently in the antibiotic group (P < 0·01), while that in the C. butyricum groups remained consistent. Moreover, C. butyricum inhibited the proliferation of E. coli by the experiment in vitro. The phosphorylation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65 in vaginal tissue and the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines, IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6, increased after modelling and significantly decreased after treated with C. butyricum (P < 0·01), with no difference found when compared with the antibiotic group.

CONCLUSION

Clostridium butyricum inhibits the growth of pathogenic bacteria as well as the inflammatory response induced by E. coli and promotes the growth of Lactobacillus to maintain the vaginal micro-ecological balance.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Our results suggest that probiobitc C. butyricum WZ001 has a great potential in the clinical treatment of BV.

Saccharomyces boulardii inhibits the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and inducible nitric oxide synthase genes in the colonic mucosa of rats experimentally-infected with Blastocystis subtype-3 cysts

Blastocystis spp. is the most frequent infectious unicellular, luminal parasite in all species of animals and humans. It has been linked to diarrhoea and irritable bowel syndrome. Saccharomyces boulardii (Sb) is a widely used probiotic that previously showed efficacy against several intestinal pathogens. The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic role of Sb on Blastocystis spp. Methods: Five groups of Blastocystis subtype-3 infected rats were treated with either live Sb alone, metronidazole (MTZ) alone, Sb extract, both Sb and MTZ, or placebo-treated besides the noninfected control group. Assessment of treatment effectiveness was done by study of parasitological cure rate, histopathological effect and analysis of the colonic mucosal level of mRNAs expressions for the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR). Results showed that live Sb significantly improved the histological characteristics and decreased the cytokines and iNOS in the colonic mucosa. Co-administration of live Sb together with MTZ gave a better effect than other treatments and had early efficacy and revealed a 100% reduction of the parasite stages from both the stool and intestinal wash fluid.

Effect of probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii in experimental giardiasis

The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of Saccharomyces boulardii in experimental treatment of giardiasis and its impact on intestinal integrity and some functions of gerbils infected with Giardia lamblia. 28 gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus), aged 4-6 weeks, were divided into four groups: untreated and uninfected control (CT); infected with G. lamblia (IGL); treated with S. boulardii (SB); and infected with G. lamblia and treated with S. boulardii (ITSB). The SB and ITSB groups received S. boulardii 15 days prior to being infected with G. lamblia. The treatment continued until completion of the experiment (22nd day). The IGL and ITSB groups were gavage-inoculated with G. lamblia ensuring one-week infection. 4 h before euthanasia, all animals were gavaged with a solution containing diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid (DTPA) marked with technetium-99mTc DTPA to determine intestinal permeability. The small intestine was removed for histopathological, morphometric analysis and count of trophozoites adhered to the mucosa. The selected probiotic caused an approximate reduction of 70% of parasite load, which was determined by attached trophozoites (P<0.01) and immune-marked trophozoites (P<0.05). Treatment with S. boulardii (SB and ITSB groups) also increased the height of the intestinal villi and crypt depth compared to the CT and IGL groups (P<0.05). The area of mucus production and the number of goblet cells of the SB and ITSB groups were higher compared to the CT and IGL groups (P<0.01). The animals treated with S. boulardii also exhibited a significant increase of intraepithelial lymphocytes counts (P<0.01). There was no difference in the intestinal permeability between the groups studied. The efficacy of S. boulardii in reducing damages caused by Giardia was demonstrated, with an approximate reduction of 70% of the parasite load, suggesting its use as a coadjuvant in giardiasis treatment.

Intestinal anti-inflammatory effect of the probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii in DSS-induced colitis in mice: Impact on microRNAs expression and gut microbiota composition

The beneficial effects exerted by probiotics in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are well known, although their exact mechanisms have not been fully elucidated, and only few studies have focused on their impact on selected miRNAs and the gut microbiota composition. Therefore, our aim was to correlate the intestinal anti-inflammatory activity of the probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii in the dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) model of mouse colitis and the changes induced in miRNA expression and gut microbiota populations. Probiotic was given orally (5×10⁹ CFU) to C57BL/6 mice for 26 days. After 2 weeks, the colitis was induced adding DSS to the drinking water. Mice were scored daily using a Disease Activity Index (DAI). After sacrifice, the colonic specimens were evaluated by determining the expression of inflammatory markers and micro-RNAs by qRT-PCR. Moreover, changes in microbiota populations were evaluated by pyrosequencing. Probiotic ameliorated the colonic damage induced by DSS, as evidenced by lower DAI values and colonic weight/length compared with untreated mice. The treatment modified the colonic expression of different inflammatory markers and the epithelial integrity proteins, and induced changes in micro-RNAs expression. Moreover, microbiota characterization showed that probiotic treatment increased bacterial diversity, thus ameliorating the dysbiosis produced by DSS-colitis. Saccharomyces boulardii exerted intestinal anti-inflammatory effects in DSS-mouse colitis, through the modulation in the immune response, involving modification of altered miRNA expression, being associated to the improvement of the inflammation-associated dysbiosis in the intestinal lumen, which could be of great interest to control the complex pathogenesis of IBD.

Hydrogen peroxide production by lactobacilli promotes epithelial restitution during colitis

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a multifactorial chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract, characterized by cycles of acute flares, recovery and remission phases. Treatments for accelerating tissue restitution and prolonging remission are scarce, but altering the microbiota composition to promote intestinal homeostasis is considered a safe, economic and promising approach. Although probiotic bacteria have not yet fulfilled fully their promise in clinical trials, understanding the mechanism of how they exert beneficial effects will permit devising improved therapeutic strategies. Here we probe if one of the defining features of lactobacilli, the ability to generate nanomolar H2O2, contributes to their beneficial role in colitis. H2O2 generation by wild type L. johnsonii was modified by either deleting or overexpressing the enzymatic H2O2 source(s) followed by orally administering the bacteria before and during DSS colitis. Boosting luminal H2O2 concentrations within a physiological range accelerated recovery from colitis, while significantly exceeding this H2O2 level triggered bacteraemia. This study supports a role for increasing H2O2 within the physiological range at the epithelial barrier, independently of the enzymatic source and/or delivery mechanism, for inducing recovery and remission in IBD.

Using murine colitis models to analyze probiotics-host interactions

Probiotics are defined as 'live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host'. So, to consider a microorganism as a probiotic, a demonstrable beneficial effect on the health host should be shown as well as an adequate defined safety status and the capacity to survive transit through the gastrointestinal tract and to storage conditions. In this review, we present an overview of the murine colitis models currently employed to test the beneficial effect of the probiotic strains as well as an overview of the probiotics already tested. Our aim is to highlight both the importance of the adequate selection of the animal model to test the potential probiotic strains and of the value of the knowledge generated by these in vivo tests.

Gleaning Insights from Fecal Microbiota Transplantation and Probiotic Studies for the Rational Design of Combination Microbial Therapies

Beneficial microorganisms hold promise for the treatment of numerous gastrointestinal diseases. The transfer of whole microbiota via fecal transplantation has already been shown to ameliorate the severity of diseases such as Clostridium difficile infection, inflammatory bowel disease, and others. However, the exact mechanisms of fecal microbiota transplant efficacy and the particular strains conferring this benefit are still unclear. Rationally designed combinations of microbial preparations may enable more efficient and effective treatment approaches tailored to particular diseases. Here we use an infectious disease, C. difficile infection, and an inflammatory disorder, the inflammatory bowel disease ulcerative colitis, as examples to facilitate the discussion of how microbial therapy might be rationally designed for specific gastrointestinal diseases. Fecal microbiota transplantation has already shown some efficacy in the treatment of both these disorders; detailed comparisons of studies evaluating commensal and probiotic organisms in the context of these disparate gastrointestinal diseases may shed light on potential protective mechanisms and elucidate how future microbial therapies can be tailored to particular diseases.

Influence of Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745on the gut-associated immune system

Background

The probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 (also known as Saccharomyces cerevisiae HANSEN CBS 5926; in the following S. boulardii) has proven its effectiveness in preventive and therapeutic treatment of many gastrointestinal diseases, especially diseases associated with acute diarrhea. In particular, antibiotic-associated diarrhea, Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea, traveller’s diarrhea, as well as acute diarrhea due to common viral and bacterial infections in children and adults.

Aim

The aim of this review is to summarize the experimental studies elucidating the molecular and immunological mechanisms by which these clinically proven effects are archived, with an emphasis on the gut-associated immune system. The main focus is laid on anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory action of S. boulardii involved in bacterial or enterotoxin-mediated diarrhea and inflammation. An attempt is made to differentiate between the effects associated with cellular versus soluble factors and between prophylactic and therapeutic effects.

Methods

A literature search was performed in PubMed/PubMed Central for the effects of S. boulardii on the gut-associated immune system (focus acute diarrhea).

Results and conclusion

S. boulardii exhibits its positive effect by the direct effects on pathogens or their toxins as well as by influencing the host’s infection-induced signaling cascades and its innate and adaptive immune system. The combination of these mechanisms results in a reduction of the pathogens’ ability for adhesion or colonization and an attenuation of the overreacting inflammatory immune response. Thereby, the integrity of the intestinal epithelial cell layer is preserved or restored, and the diarrheic leakage of fluids into the intestinal lumen is attenuated.

The efficacy of tyrosine kinase inhibitor dasatinib on colonic mucosal damage in murine model of colitis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory condition of the colon in the gastrointestinal system. Currently, the most potent medications used for ulcerative colitis produce no response in 20-30% of cases. There is a need for more efficient and reliable medications. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors have shown efficacy in some inflammatory diseases. Although dasatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, suppresses proinflammatory cytokines in colonic tissue, there are a few cases of hemorrhagic colitis with dasatinib. There is no study investigating the effect of dasatinib on experimental colitis. We aimed to investigate the effect of dasatinib in a colitis model induced with acetic acid in our study.

METHODS

In the study, 24 male Sprague-Dawley rats randomly distributed into 4 groups of 6 rats each as control, dasatinib, colitis and dasatinib+colitis groups. For colitis induction, 4% acetic acid was used. Sacrificing of the rats was performed on the seventh day. Disease activity, morphologic and histological injury, superoxide dismutase, myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde activity, TNFα and CD3 expression were assessed in colonic tissue.

RESULTS

Apart from malondialdehyde, significant difference in all parameters between the control and colitis groups was determined. Difference between the colitis and colitis+dasatinib groups was not significant in only weight loss and biochemical parameters. Though dasatinib does not fully resolve the changes in colitis, there was significant regression.

CONCLUSIONS

Dasatinib decreased the inflammation in a rodent model of colitis. It may be provide this effect by the suppression of TNFα. Dasatinib may be one of the treatment options for ulcerative colitis.

Cellular and molecular effects of yeast probiotics on cancer

The cancer is one of the main causes of human deaths worldwide. The exact mechanisms of initiation and progression of malignancies are not clear yet, but there is a common agreement about the role of colonic microbiota in the etiology of different cancers. Probiotics have been examined for their anti-cancer effects, and different mechanisms have been suggested about their antitumor functions. Nonpathogenic yeasts, as members of probiotics family, can be effective on gut microbiota dysbiosis. Generally safe yeasts have shown so many beneficial effects on human health. Probiotic yeasts influence physiology, metabolism, and immune homeostasis in the colon and contribute to cancer treatment due to possessing anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative and anti-cancer properties. This study reviews some of the health-beneficial effects of probiotic yeasts and their biological substances like folic acid and β-glucan on cancer and focuses on the possible cellular and molecular mechanisms of probiotic yeasts such as influencing pathogenic bacteria, inactivation of carcinogenic compounds, especially those derived from food, improvement of intestinal barrier function, modulation of immune responses, antitoxic function, apoptosis, and anti-proliferative effects.

The Syk Inhibitor Fostamatinib Decreases the Severity of Colonic Mucosal Damage in a Rodent Model of Colitis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal system. In some cases, current medications used for inflammatory bowel disease may not be enough for remission, creating a need for more potent and reliable medications. There is no study showing the efficacy of fostamatinib, with proven effects on some inflammatory diseases, on ulcerative colitis. In our study we planned to research the efficacy of fostamatinib, a spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor, on acetic acid-induced colitis.

METHODS

The study included 28 male Sprague-Dawley rats, randomly divided into control group, fostamatinib group, colitis group and fostamatinib + colitis group, each containing seven rats. Colitis induction was performed with 4% acetic acid. Colonic inflammation was assessed with disease activity index, macroscopic and histological damage scores, colonic myeloperoxidase, malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase activity, and tumour necrosis factor alpha [TNFα], CD3, Syk, and phospho-Syk expression.

RESULTS

There was a significant difference between the colitis and control groups in terms of all parameters. The disease activity index, macroscopic and microscopic damage scores, immunohistochemical TNFα, CD3, Syk, and phospho-Syk expression, and tissue myeloperoxidase activity were found to be significantly lower in the colitis + fostamatinib group compared with the colitis group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of myeloperoxidase and malondialdehyde activity.

CONCLUSIONS

Fostamatinib reduced the inflammatory damage in the experimental colitis. This effect may be due to suppression of TNFα, T-lymphocytes, and neutrophils in colonic mucosa via suppression of Syk. Fostamatinib may be an appropriate treatment alternative for ulcerative colitis. Further clinical studies are required to support this.

Chemopreventive effect of dietary glutamine on colitis-associated colon tumorigenesis in mice

Chronic colonic inflammation is a known risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC). Glutamine (GLN) supplementation has shown its anti-inflammation benefit in experimental colitis. Whether GLN is effective in preventing colon carcinogenesis remains to be investigated. The chemopreventive activity of GLN was evaluated in the mouse model of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)/azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colitis-associated CRC in this study. Mice were treated with DSS/AOM and randomized to receive either a control diet or GLN-enriched diet intermittently of the study. The disease activity index was evaluated weekly. On day 80 of the experiment, the entire colon and rectum were processed for histopathologic examination and further evaluation. Pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, real-time-PCR and western blot analysis. Here, we show that after GLN-enriched diet, the colitis presented a statistical improvement and tumors burden decreased significantly. This was accompanied by lower activity of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), decreased expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase, lower expression of cytokines and chemokines as well as reduced proliferation and induced apoptosis in the colons of colitis-associated CRC mice. Our data demonstrate the protective/preventive effect of GLN in the progression of colitis-associated CRC, which was correlated with a dampening of inflammation and NF-κB activity and with a decrease of inflammatory protein overexpression.