Abstract
BackgroundNecrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a serious gastrointestinal disorder that is often seen in premature infants. Probiotics decrease the risk of NEC; however, the mechanism by which probiotics work is not clear. The goal of this study was to evaluate the preventive effect of Bifidobacterium adolescentis in an NEC rat model.MethodsSprague-Dawley neonatal rats were obtained by caesarean section after 20-21 d gestation and randomly divided into the following 3 groups: dam fed (DF), formula fed (FF), and formula + B. adolescentis (FB). Those in the FF and FB groups developed NEC after exposure to asphyxia and cold stress. All rats were sacrificed 72 h after birth and intestinal injury and mRNA expression of TLR4, TOLLIP and SIGIRR were assessed.ResultsB. adolescentis significantly increased the 72-h survival rate from 56.3% in the FF group to 86.7% in the FB group. B. adolescentis significantly reduced the histological score from a median of 3.0 in the FF group to a median of 1.0 in the FB group,and significantly decreased the rate of NEC-like intestinal injury from 77.8% in the FF group to 23.1% in the FB group. The mRNA expression of TLR4 increased 3.6 fold in the FF group but decreased by 2 fold from B. adolescentis treatment. mRNA expression of TOLLIP and SIGIRR decreased 4.3 and 3.7 fold, respectively, in the FF group. B. adolescentis significantly increased mRNA expression of TOLLIP and SIGIRR by 3.7 fold and 2.6 fold, respectively.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated B. adolescentis prevents NEC in preterm neonatal rats and that the mechanism for this action might be associated with the alteration of TLR4, TOLLIP, and SIGIRR expression.
Highlights
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a serious gastrointestinal disorder that is often seen in premature infants
Recent clinical studies have shown that oral administration of B. infantis and B. bifidum could prevent NEC development in premature infants [19, 20]. It is not entirely clear how Bifidobacterium species protect the neonatal intestine against NEC, but recent reports show that B. infantis exerts an antiinflammatory effect by decreasing TLR4 mRNA and increasing Toll Interacting Protein (TOLLIP) and Single Ig IL-1-Related Receptor (SIGIRR) mRNA levels in immature human intestinal xenografts and NEC intestinal epithelial cells [4]. It is unknown whether B. adolescentis has the same effect in the NEC rat model; the aim of this study was to determine whether B. adolescentis could protect against NEC and whether TLR4, TOLLIP and SIGIRR expression could be influenced by B. adolescentis
Prophylactic B. adolescentis significantly alleviated ileum damage in the NEC rat model, and inhibited the increase in TLR4 expression and the decrease in TOLLIP and SIGIRR expression in the intestine. These results indicated that B. adolescentis protects premature rats from intestinal injury from hypoxia and cold stress, the mechanism of which might be by reducing the expression of TLR4 and increasing the expression of TOLLIP and SIGIRR
Summary
Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a serious gastrointestinal disorder that is often seen in premature infants. Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a serious gastrointestinal disorder that frequently affects premature newborns and results in high morbidity and mortality, especially in very low-birth weight (VLBW) infants [1, 2]. Premature newborns often must receive long-term parenteral nutrition. These infants often develop NEC and are subsequently at increased risk for short bowel syndrome and cholestatic liver disease [4]. The premature infants with NEC who need surgery are at increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, such as microcephaly and cerebral palsy [5]; it is important to identify a preventive strategy that will reduce the risk of developing NEC. NEC pathogenesis is characterized by intestinal inflammation [7] and it was recently suggested that the disease is caused by excessive
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