Inflammatory bowel disease

Changes in gut microbiota control inflammation in obese mice through a mechanism involving GLP-2-driven improvement of gut permeability

P D Cani¹, S Possemiers², T Van de Wiele², Y Guiot³, A Everard¹, O Rottier¹, L Geurts¹, D Naslain^1,4, A Neyrinck¹, D M Lambert⁴, G G Muccioli⁵, N M Delzenne¹

¹ Unit of Pharmacokinetics, Metabolism, Nutrition and Toxicology, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
² Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
³ Department of Pathology, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
⁴ Medicinal Chemistry and Radiopharmacy Unit, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
⁵ Laboratory of Chemical and Physico-chemical Analysis of Drugs (CHAM), Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium

Dr P D Cani, UCL, Unit PMNT-7369, Av E Mounier, 73/69, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium; patrice.cani{at}uclouvain.be; or Professor NM Delzenne, UCL, Unit PMNT-7369, Av R Mounier, 73/69, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium; nathalie.delzenne{at}uclouvain.be

Background and aims: Obese and diabetic mice display enhanced intestinal permeability and metabolic endotoxaemia that participate in the occurrence of metabolic disorders. Our recent data support the idea that a selective increase of Bifidobacterium spp. reduces the impact of high-fat diet-induced metabolic endotoxaemia and inflammatory disorders. Here, we hypothesised that prebiotic modulation of gut microbiota lowers intestinal permeability, by a mechanism involving glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) thereby improving inflammation and metabolic disorders during obesity and diabetes.

Methods: Study 1: ob/ob mice (Ob-CT) were treated with either prebiotic (Ob-Pre) or non-prebiotic carbohydrates as control (Ob-Cell). Study 2: Ob-CT and Ob-Pre mice were treated with GLP-2 antagonist or saline. Study 3: Ob-CT mice were treated with a GLP-2 agonist or saline. We assessed changes in the gut microbiota, intestinal permeability, gut peptides, intestinal epithelial tight-junction proteins ZO-1 and occludin (qPCR and immunohistochemistry), hepatic and systemic inflammation.

Results: Prebiotic-treated mice exhibited a lower plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and cytokines, and a decreased hepatic expression of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers. This decreased inflammatory tone was associated with a lower intestinal permeability and improved tight-junction integrity compared to controls. Prebiotic increased the endogenous intestinotrophic proglucagon-derived peptide (GLP-2) production whereas the GLP-2 antagonist abolished most of the prebiotic effects. Finally, pharmacological GLP-2 treatment decreased gut permeability, systemic and hepatic inflammatory phenotype associated with obesity to a similar extent as that observed following prebiotic-induced changes in gut microbiota.

Conclusion: We found that a selective gut microbiota change controls and increases endogenous GLP-2 production, and consequently improves gut barrier functions by a GLP-2-dependent mechanism, contributing to the improvement of gut barrier functions during obesity and diabetes.

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