Effect of a Synbiotic Containing Lactobacillus paracasei and Opuntia humifusa on a Murine Model of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Gyeol Seong,So-Young Park,Seungbaek Lee,Yeon Sil Jang,Yang Won Min,Cheol-Hyun Kim,Dong Kyung Chang,Sung Noh Hong,Chansu Lee

doi:10.3390/nu12103205

Gyeol Seong, So-Young Park + Show 7 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12103205

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Abstract

The administration of a combination of probiotics and prebiotics is expected to be a promising strategy for improving irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of a synbiotic containing Lactobacillus paracasei and Opuntia humifusa extract for symptomatic improvement of IBS in a murine model and to evaluate the mechanism underlying the beneficial effects of this synbiotic. A total of 20 male Wistar rats aged 8 weeks with IBS induced by restraint stress were assigned into four groups and administered L. paracasei as a probiotic and O. humifusa extract as a prebiotic for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was stool consistency at week 4. To evaluate the mechanism underlying the beneficial effects of the synbiotic, fecal microbial analysis was conducted, and the serum corticosterone levels, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels in the colon tissue, and expression of tight junction proteins were investigated. All three treatment groups showed significantly lower scores for stool consistency than the control group at week 4 (all p < 0.001). When compared with the control group, the synbiotic groups showed a significantly greater abundance of L. paracasei in fecal microbial analysis, lower serum corticosterone levels, lower TNF-α levels in the colon tissue, and higher expression of tight junction proteins. This novel synbiotic containing L. paracasei and O. humifusa extract can improve the stool consistency in a murine model of IBS. It may be a promising treatment option for IBS, and human studies are warranted.

Highlights

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder characterized by recurrent abdominal pain associated with defecation and change in the frequency or form of stools [1,2].As the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has not been fully understood, the treatment strategies for IBS target the predominant symptoms
We identified the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effect of the synbiotic
These inconsistencies may be due to the heterogeneity in the study design or the limitations associated with the probiotics themselves

Summary

Introduction

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder characterized by recurrent abdominal pain associated with defecation and change in the frequency or form of stools [1,2].As the pathophysiology of IBS has not been fully understood, the treatment strategies for IBS target the predominant symptoms. Recent studies have attempted to provide a better understanding of the pathophysiology by presenting new disease concepts of IBS, including disorder of the brain-gut axis, altered gut microbiota [3], cytokine response [4], low-grade mucosal inflammation [5], and abnormal change in the intestinal permeability [6]. Similar to that in other GI disorders, altered gut microbiota is associated with the symptoms and severity of IBS [7,8,9]. In this regard, modulating the gut microbiota may improve the IBS symptoms; a broad spectrum of probiotics and prebiotics have been studied. The administration of probiotics and prebiotics is a potential treatment option for IBS, based on the available evidence that suggests that probiotics and prebiotics exercise anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects on the intestinal mucosa [13,14]

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