Aims: This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis A6 on dextran sodium sulphate (DSS)-induced colitis in C57BL/6J mice.
Methods and Results: Mice were randomly divided into three groups (n = 8 per group). Each group was administered with PBS (Control and DSS group) or B. lactis A6 with a dosage of ~4.0 × 10 9 CFU day −1 (DSS + A6 group) for 21 consecutive days. The DSS and DSS + A6 group mice were ad libitum drinking 2.5% DSS water during day 15-21, while the Control group mice were given normal water. The administration of B. lactis A6 significantly inhibited DSS-induced bodyweight loss and colon shortening (p < 0.001), but showed no significant influence on the spleen enlargement (p > 0.05). The intestinal barrier integrity was improved by reducing colonic damage, recovering mucus layer loss and enhancing tight junction expression including ZO-1, occludin and claudin-1. In addition, B. lactis A6 attenuated the oxidative stress by decreasing MDA and increasing SOD and GSH levels in colon tissues. Moreover, B. lactis A6 suppressed DSS-induced inflammatory responses via downregulating TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 levels and upregulating IL-10 level in colon tissues. Conclusion: B. lactis A6 effectively alleviated DSS-induced colitis by maintaining intestinal barrier integrity, reducing oxidative stress and inhibiting inflammatory responses. Significance and Impact of the Study: This study suggests that B. lactis A6 could act as a candidate probiotic for UC treatment.
Capsular polysaccharide is well known to protect bacteria against various environmental stresses. The gene cluster for CPS biosynthesis is typically organized in the chromosome in bacteria.
Cabernet Sauvignon grape pomace contains carbohydrates and various amino acids that could be used as substrates for lactic acid (LA) production. In this study, a mutant strain of L. plantarum with deletion of the D-lactate synthesis gene was developed and used to produce optical pure L-LA from grape pomace. The highest optical purity of the L-LA produced by this mutant strain was 99.61%. The direct bioconversion of the raw substrate showed a low LA yield. Several pretreatment methods were applied to improve the LA yield, including ball milling, hydrothermal, dilute acid pretreatment, alkaline pretreatment, and combined wet alkaline mechanical pretreatment. Due to the efficient delignification, alkaline pretreatment achieved the highest lactic acid yield of 96.26% at 15% solid loading, with corresponding LA concentration and volumetric productivity of 18.45 g/L and 2.30 g/L·h, respectively.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.