No abstract

Elevated colonic lumenal serine protease activity of IBS-D patients evokes a PAR-2-mediated colonic epithelial barrier dysfunction and subsequent allodynia in mice, suggesting a novel organic background in the pathogenesis of IBS.

These data suggest that chronic stress-induced abnormal brain plasticity and reduction in neurogenesis can be prevented by a pretreatment with the Probio'Stick(®) formulation, suggesting that probiotics modulate neuroregulatory factors and various signaling pathways in the central nervous system involved in stress response.

Hypersensitivity to rectal or colonic distension characterizes most patients with IBS and increased gut permeability has been described in post-dysenteric IBS patients. However, no link has been established between these two events. The aim of this study was to determine (i) whether chemical blockade of stress-induced increase of colonic paracellular permeability by 2,4,6 triaminopyrimidine (TAP) affects the concomitant hypersensitivity to colonic distension, (ii) the role of epithelial cell contraction in the stress-induced increased permeability and hyperalgesia, using a myosin light chain kinase inhibitor (ML-7). The effect of acute partial restraint stress (PRS) on visceral sensitivity to colorectal distension (RD) was assessed by abdominal muscle electromyography. Colonic paracellular permeability was determined by measuring percentage of urinary 51Cr-EDTA recovery after intracolonic infusion. The effect of stress on both parameters was evaluated after TAP, ML-7 or vehicle pretreated animals. PRS significantly increased colonic paracellular permeability and the number of spike bursts for all volumes of RD applied compared to sham. TAP suppressed the stress-induced increase of colonic paracellular permeability and sensitivity to colonic distension. Similarly, ML-7 blocked the stress-induced increase of colonic paracellular permeability and sensitivity. Neither ML-7 nor TAP had any effect on both permeability and sensitivity in absence of stress. The increase of colonic permeability induced by PRS results from epithelial cell cytoskeleton contraction through myosin light chain kinase activation and this increase is responsible for stress-induced rectal hypersensitivity.

L farciminis treatment prevents stress induced hypersensitivity, increase in colonic paracellular permeability, and colonocyte MLC phosphorylation. This antinociceptive effect occurs via inhibition of contraction of colonic epithelial cell cytoskeleton and the subsequent tight junction opening, and may also involve direct or indirect effects of NO produced by this probiotic.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a peptide released by the intestine and the brain. We previously demonstrated that brain GLP-1 increases glucose-dependent hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. These two features are major characteristics of the onset of type 2 diabetes. Therefore, we investigated whether blocking brain GLP-1 signaling would prevent high-fat diet (HFD)-induced diabetes in the mouse. Our data show that a 1-month chronic blockage of brain GLP-1 signaling by exendin-9 (Ex9), totally prevented hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance in HFD mice. Furthermore, food intake was dramatically increased, but body weight gain was unchanged, showing that brain GLP-1 controlled energy expenditure. Thermogenesis, glucose utilization, oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, muscle glycolytic respiratory index, UCP2 expression in muscle, and basal ambulatory activity were all increased by the exendin-9 treatment. Thus, we have demonstrated that in response to a HFD, brain GLP-1 signaling induces hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance and decreases energy expenditure by reducing metabolic thermogenesis and ambulatory activity.

Despite well-known intestinal epithelial barrier impairment and visceral hypersensitivity in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients and IBS-like models, structural and physical changes in the mucus layer remain poorly understood. Using a water avoidance stress (WAS) model, we aimed at evaluating whether 1) WAS modified gut permeability, visceral sensitivity, mucin expression, biochemical structure of O-glycans, and related mucus physical properties, and 2) whether Lactobacillus farciminis treatment prevented these alterations. Wistar rats received orally L. farciminis or vehicle for 14 days; at day 10, they were submitted to either sham or 4-day WAS. Intestinal paracellular permeability and visceral sensitivity were measured in vivo. The number of goblet cells and Muc2 expression were evaluated by histology and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Mucosal adhesion of L. farciminis was determined ex situ. The mucin O-glycosylation profile was obtained by mass spectrometry. Surface imaging of intestinal mucus was performed at nanoscale by atomic force microscopy. WAS induced gut hyperpermeability and visceral hypersensitivity but did not modify either the number of intestinal goblet cells or Muc2 expression. In contrast, O-glycosylation of mucins was strongly affected, with the appearance of elongated polylactosaminic chain containing O-glycan structures, associated with flattening and loss of the mucus layer cohesive properties. L. farciminis bound to intestinal Muc2 and prevented WAS-induced functional alterations and changes in mucin O-glycosylation and mucus physical properties. WAS-induced functional changes were associated with mucus alterations resulting from a shift in O-glycosylation rather than from changes in mucin expression. L. farciminis treatment prevented these alterations, conferring epithelial and mucus barrier strengthening.

Elevated colonic luminal serine-protease (Ser-P) activity of diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D) patients evokes a proteinase-activated receptor (PAR)-2-mediated colonic hypersensitivity in mice. Despite similarly elevated Ser-P levels in feces, patients with IBD exhibit visceral hypo- or normosensitivity to rectal distension, as opposed to IBS-D. To explain these discrepancies we studied the effect of colonic infusion of fecal supernatants from ulcerative colitis (UC) patients to colorectal mechanical sensitivity of mice and explored the involvement of PAR-4 and its activator Cathepsin-G (Cat-G). Fecal protease activities were assayed in healthy subjects, IBS-D and UC patients in presence or not of antiproteases or Cat-G inhibitor. Following intracolonic infusion of fecal supernatants from healthy subjects, IBS-D and UC patients or PAR-4 activating peptide (PAR-4-AP) or Cat-G, EMG response to colorectal balloon distension was recorded in mice. This nociceptive response was also determined after treatment with pepducin (PAR-4 antagonist) on UC supernatant or after a preincubation with antiproteases or Cat-G inhibitor. In contrast to IBS-D supernatant, UC supernatant promoted colonic hyposensitivity to distension, an effect mimicked by PAR-4-AP or Cat-G. UC supernatant-induced hypoalgesia was inhibited by a cocktail of antiproteases. However, blockade of PAR-4 or Cat-G inhibition resulted in colonic hypersensitivity similar to that observed after IBS-D supernatant infusion. Despite similarly elevated Ser-P activities, IBS-D and UC fecal supernatant display visceral pro- and antinociceptive effects in mice, respectively. Visceral hyposensitivity induced by fecal supernatant from UC patients results from PAR-4 activation by cathepsin-G, counterbalancing the pronociceptive effect of simultaneous PAR-2 activation.