Protective Effects of Xyloglucan in Association with the Polysaccharide Gelose in an Experimental Model of Gastroenteritis and Urinary Tract Infections.

Emanuela Esposito,Alessio Peritore,Salvatore Cuzzocrea,Domenico Franco,Michela Campolo,Giovanna Casili,Alessia Filippone,Marika Lanza

doi:10.3390/ijms19071844

Emanuela Esposito, Alessio Peritore + Show 6 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19071844

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Abstract

Acute infectious gastroenteritis (GE) and urinary tract infection (UTI) are common diseases and are normally perceived as mild and limiting illnesses. Xyloglucan is a natural plant polymer with protective barrier properties, also known as “mucosal protectors”, which is the main ingredient of medical devices developed for the management of different diseases, such as gastrointestinal diseases, urinary tract infections, or respiratory allergic diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of xyloglucan in association with gelose (also called agar) in an experimental model of bacterial GE and UTI in rats. Two kinds of infection were induced by oral administration of Salmonella enterica and Enterococcus hirae for three days. Two days before the bacterial administration, preventive oral treatment with xyloglucan + gelose (10 mg/kg + 5 mg/kg) was performed daily until the seventh day. Twenty-four hours after the last treatment, rats were sacrificed and urinary tracts and intestines for different analysis were collected. The results showed that xyloglucan plus gelose was able to reduce intestinal morphological changes (p < 0.05 for both), tight junctions (TJ) permeability (p < 0.001 for both), and neutrophil infiltration (p < 0.05 for both) induced by bacterial infections, highlighting its barrier proprieties. Moreover, the compound reduced the number of bacterial colonies in the urinary tract favoring elimination by feces. The results obtained in the present study suggest that the protective barrier properties of xyloglucan plus gelose allow the prevention of GE and UTI in models of infections in rats.

Highlights

Acute infectious gastroenteritis (GE) and urinary tract infection (UTI) are common diseases and are normally perceived as mild and self-limiting
Salmonella enterica serovars Enteritidis and Typhimurium are involved in foodborne gastroenteritis throughout the world; to find appropriate measures to reduce salmonella contamination in the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts, it is essential to understand the mechanisms of salmonella infection, intestinal colonization, persistence, and excretion
Enterococcus spp. has been recognized as important pathogens which cause a wide spectrum of human infection, such as septicemia, urinary tract infections, and endocarditis. the attention has been focused on Enterococcus hirae (E. hirae), which is known to cause infection in animals such as rats and birds, but it is uncommonly encountered in clinical isolates from humans [9]

Summary

Introduction

Acute infectious gastroenteritis (GE) and urinary tract infection (UTI) are common diseases and are normally perceived as mild and self-limiting. In response to mucosal invasion, epithelial cells and macrophages express pro-inflammatory cytokines, e.g., interleukin-1β (IL-1β), to recruit neutrophils [4,5]. It is a rare cause, several authors have demonstrated a growing frequency of Salmonella spp. isolated in urine samples from UTIs with an unrecognized cause or related to immunodeficiency or a urological abnormality [6,7,8]. Despite only 3% of human infections detected in clinical practice from enterococcus is due to E. hirae, an emerging role in the onset of serious diseases (endocarditis, acute pancreatitis, pyelonephritis, and septic shock) can be attributed to this microorganism [11,12]

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