In vivo study: Th1–Th17 reduction in pristane‐induced systemic lupus erythematosus mice after treatment with tolerogenic Lactobacillus probiotics

Abstract

Uncontrolled inflammation in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) could cause dysfunction in multiple organs. T helper 17 (Th17) cells are a main branch of inflammatory responses in the pathogenesis of SLE, and by producing interleukin 17 (IL-17), represent a major functional tool in the progression of inflammation. Animal models provide a special field for better studies of the pathogenesis of diseases. Tolergenic probiotics could decrease inflammation in autoimmune diseases by modulating the immune system and maintaining homeostasis. The aim of this project was to evaluate the effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii on Th17 cells and their related mediators in a pristane-induced BALB/c mice model of SLE. The mice were divided into pretreatment groups, which received probiotics or prednisolone at Day 0, and treatment groups, which received probiotics and prednisolone 2 months after injection. The presence of antinuclear antibody (ANA), anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA), and anti-ribonucleoprotein (anti-RNP) and lipogranuloma was evaluated; also, the population of Th1-Th17 cells as well as interferon γ (IFN-γ), IL-17, and IL-10 levels, and the expression of RAR-related orphan related receptor gamma (RORγt) and IL-17 were determined. We observed that probiotics and prednisolone could delay SLE in pretreatment and treatment mice groups, with a reduction in ANA, anti-dsDNA, anti-RNP, and mass of lipogranuloma. Probiotics and prednisolone decreased the population of Th1-Th17 cells and reduced IFN-γ and IL-17 as inflammatory cytokines in the pretreatment and treatment groups in comparison with SLE-induced mice. Our results indicated that, due to their anti-inflammatory properties and reduction of Th17, Th1, and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) cells, the use of these probiotics could probably represent a new tool for the better management of SLE.

Cutting Edge: Probiotics and Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Immunomodulation

“…Moreover, in some experiments, probiotics also regulate autoimmune diseases. For example, in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) mice induced by pristane, feeding L. rhamnosus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii ( L. delbrueckii ) reduced the expression of ROR γ mRNA, downregulated Th1 and Th17 cells, and decreased the levels of IFN- γ and IL-17 [60].…”

Lactobacillus fermentum CECT5716: a novel alternative for the prevention of vascular disorders in a mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus

“…(11). Recently, Mardani et al (12) showed that the administration of the probiotics Lactobacillus delbrueckii or Lactobacillus rhamnosus to a pristane-induced SLE mouse model was able to prevent the initiation or the progression of the SLE disease. Nonetheless, neither the MRL/lpr nor pristane-induced SLE mice became hypertensive (13,14); therefore, their usefulness to examine mechanisms that lead to SLE hypertension and the effects of therapeutic treatments of hypertension in SLE were limited.…”

Probiotics with ameliorating effects on the severity of skin inflammation in psoriasis: Evidence from experimental and clinical studies

“…Pro‐inflammatory Th17 cells and their corresponding cytokines exist extravagantly in both the intestine and the skin (Weaver, Elson, Fouser, & Kolls, 2013), and are suggested to have a critical effect on the pathogenesis of various chronic inflammatory disorders of cutaneous, such as Behcet's disorder, skin hypersensitivity, and psoriasis (Esplugues et al, 2011; Levkovich et al, 2013; Teunissen & Kapsenberg, 2007; van Beelen, Teunissen, Kapsenberg, & de Jong, 2007). The gut microbiome was found to strongly affect axis of Th17/Treg cells (Esmaeili et al, 2017; Mardani et al, 2018). Th17 cells may be abolished in the gastrointestinal tract, or they can shift to a phenotype with regulatory function (rTh17) possessing immunosuppressive activities that constricts the state of the disease (Esplugues et al, 2011).…”