Postbiotic Administration Ameliorates Colitis and Inflammation in Rats Possibly through Gut Microbiota Modulation

Abstract

Postbiotics are preparations of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that are beneficial to host health. Compared with probiotics, the postbiotic dose required for exerting obvious protective effects is unknown. Thus, we conducted a dose-dependent postbiotic intervention study in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis rats. The trial included five rat groups, including: control without DSS/postbiotic treatment, group C; 7-day DSS treatment, group D; 14-day low, medium, and high probiotic doses (0.1, 0.2, 0.4 g/kg; groups L, M, H, respectively) after DSS induction. We found that postbiotic intervention effectively mitigated the symptoms and inflammation in colitis rats, evidenced by the improved spleen index, less severe colon tissue damage, and changes in serum cytokine levels (decreases in tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β; increase in interleukin-10) in postbiotic groups compared with group D. Moreover, the therapeutic effect was dose-dependent. Fecal metabolomics analysis revealed that the postbiotic recipients had more anti-inflammatory metabolites, namely, salicyloyl phytophingosine, podophylloxin, securinine, baicalein, and diosmetin. Fecal metagenomics analysis revealed that the postbiotic recipients had more beneficial microbes and less pro-inflammatory bacteria. This study confirmed that postbiotics are effective in alleviating colitis in a dosedependent manner. Our findings are of interest to food scientists, clinicians, and the health food industry.

Bifidobacterium bifidum Ameliorates DSS-Induced Colitis in Mice by Regulating Microbial Metabolome and Targeting Gut Microbiota

“…Lactobacillus , known for its positive influence on colonic barrier function, prevents cytokine-induced apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells and increases Muc2 mRNA levels in vitro . Several studies have reported that interventions with probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics can significantly increase the abundance of Lactobacillus in the gut microbiota of mice. − A high proportion of Bacteroidetes is associated with colitis resistance and low-grade systemic inflammation . Previous research has demonstrated that Enterorhabdus, which exhibited a negative correlation with pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, contributed positively to intestinal homeostasis.…”

“…Odoribacter, considered beneficial, exhibits a negative correlation with the severity of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and IBD Alistipes and Prevotellaceae _UCG-001, associated with polysaccharide-digesting enzymes and SCFA production, alleviate glucose and lipid metabolism disorders through the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway. , It was reported that a postbiotic product, derived from cell preparations of three probiotic strains, significantly enhanced the abundance of Odoribacter splanchnicus, Alistipes shahii, and Prevotella copri in colitis mice Faecalibacterium, widely present in the human gut, holds promise for next-generation probiotics or biotherapeutics.…”