Regulation of human epithelial tight junction proteins by Lactobacillus plantarum in vivo and protective effects on the epithelial barrier

Abstract

Karczewski J, Troost FJ, Konings I, Dekker J, Kleerebezem M, Brummer RM, Wells JM. Regulation of human epithelial tight junction proteins by Lactobacillus plantarum in vivo and protective effects on the epithelial barrier. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 298: G851-G859, 2010. First published March 11, 2010; doi:10.1152/ajpgi.00327.2009.-Lactobacillus plantarum, a commensal bacterium of humans, has been proposed to enhance the intestinal barrier, which is compromised in a number of intestinal disorders. To study the effect of L. plantarum strain WCFS1 on human barrier function, healthy subjects were administered L. plantarum or placebo in the duodenum for 6 h by means of a feeding catheter. The scaffold protein zonula occludens (ZO)-1 and transmembrane protein occludin were found to be significantly increased in the vicinity of the tight-junction (TJ) structures, which form the paracellular seal between cells of the epithelium. In an in vitro model of the human epithelium, L. plantarum induced translocation of ZO-1 to the TJ region; however, the effects on occludin were minor compared with those seen in vivo. L. plantarum was shown to activate Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) signaling, and treatment of Caco-2 monolayers with the TLR2 agonist Pam 3 -Cys-SK4(PCSK) significantly increased fluorescent staining of occludin in the TJ. Pretreatment of Caco-2 monolayers with L. plantarum or PCSK significantly attenuated the effects of phorbol ester-induced dislocation of ZO-1 and occludin and the associated increase in epithelial permeability. Our results identifying commensal bacterial stimulation of TLR2 in the gut epithelium as a regulator of epithelial integrity have important implications for understanding probiotic mechanisms and the control of intestinal homeostasis. epithelium; intestine

VSL#3 probiotics regulate the intestinal epithelial barrier in�vivo and in vitro via the p38 and ERK signaling pathways

“…Tight junctions are the major determinants of paracellular permeability. Although changes in epithelial tight junction protein expression have been studied extensively in monolayers stimulated by cytokines, challenged by bacteria, or exposed to aspirin (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22), much remains to be understood about barrier disruptive changes under inflammatory conditions in vivo. Our results have indicated that the probiotic mixture VSL#3 protects colonic epithelial barrier function in acute DSS colitis, as demonstrated by effective prevention of increased Evans blue dye uptake.…”

The role of gut microbiota (commensal bacteria) and the mucosal barrier in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and cancer: contribution of germ-free and gnotobiotic animal models of human diseases

“…Probiotics have been shown to favorably influence the development and stability of the microbiota, inhibit the colonization by pathogens, influence the mucosal barrier by trophic effects on the intestinal epithelium, protect against physiological stress, and stimulate both specific and nonspecific components of the immune system. 139,[157][158][159][160][161][162][163] Probiotics may well replace antibiotics whose resistance has been steadily increasing. Similar to the effects of microbiota, the effects of administration of probiotics and prebiotics are being intensively studied.…”

Lactic acid fermentation of Arthrospira platensis (spirulina) biomass for probiotic-based products

“…Lactobacillus plantarum has been proposed as probiotic, and several studies have been performed that show its capacity to resist transit through the gastric tract, ability to colonise the host gut, safety and potential health benefits such as cholesterol reduction (de Vries et al 2006;Georgieva et al 2009;Karczewski et al 2010).…”