INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE

Probiotics prevent bacterial translocation and improve intestinal barrier function in rats following chronic psychological stress

M Zareie¹, K Johnson-Henry¹, J Jury², P-C Yang², B-Y Ngan¹, D M McKay², J D Soderholm³, M H Perdue², P M Sherman¹

¹ Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, Departments of Paediatrics and Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
² Intestinal Diseases Research Program, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
³ Departments of Biomedicine and Surgery, University Hospital, Linkoping, Sweden

Correspondence to:
Dr P M Sherman
Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Room 8409, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1X8; philip.sherman{at}sickkids.ca

Background and aim: Chronic psychological stress, including water avoidance stress (WAS), induces intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction and impairs mucosal defences against luminal bacteria. The aim of this study was to determine the ability of a defined probiotic regimen to prevent WAS induced intestinal pathophysiology.

Methods: Male rats were subjected to either WAS or sham stress for one hour per day for 10 consecutive days. Additional animals received seven days of Lactobacillus helveticus and L rhamnosus in the drinking water prior to stress and remained on these probiotics for the duration of the study. Rats were then sacrificed, intestinal segments assessed in Ussing chambers, and mesenteric lymph nodes cultured to determine bacterial translocation.

Results: All animals remained healthy for the duration of the study. Chronic WAS induced excess ion secretion (elevated baseline short circuit current) and barrier dysfunction (increased conductance) in both the ileum and colon, associated with increased bacterial adhesion and penetration into surface epithelial cells. Approximately 70% of rats subjected to WAS had bacterial translocation to mesenteric lymph nodes while there was no bacterial translocation in controls. Probiotic pretreatment alone had no effect on intestinal barrier function. However, WAS induced increased ileal short circuit current was reduced with probiotics whereas there was no impact on altered conductance. Pretreatment of animals with probiotics also completely abrogated WAS induced bacterial adhesion and prevented translocation of bacteria to mesenteric lymph nodes.

Conclusion: These findings indicate that probiotics can prevent chronic stress induced intestinal abnormalities and, thereby, exert beneficial effects in the intestinal tract.

Abbreviations: WAS, water avoidance stress; IBD, inflammatory bowel disease; MLN, mesenteric lymph nodes; TEM, transmission electron microscopy; HRP, horseradish peroxidase

Keywords: probiotics; stress; bacterial translocation; epithelial barrier

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

Digest

Robin Spiller and Alastair Watson
Gut 2006 55: 1529a. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Mennigen, R., Nolte, K., Rijcken, E., Utech, M., Loeffler, B., Senninger, N., Bruewer, M. (2009). Probiotic mixture VSL#3 protects the epithelial barrier by maintaining tight junction protein expression and preventing apoptosis in a murine model of colitis. Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 296: G1140-G1149 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Sherman, P. M., Ossa, J. C., Johnson-Henry, K. (2009). Unraveling Mechanisms of Action of Probiotics. Nutr Clin Pract 24: 10-14 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Verdu, E. F., Bercik, P., Huang, X. X., Lu, J., Al-Mutawaly, N., Sakai, H., Tompkins, T. A., Croitoru, K., Tsuchida, E., Perdue, M., Collins, S. M. (2008). The role of luminal factors in the recovery of gastric function and behavioral changes after chronic Helicobacter pylori infection. Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 295: G664-G670 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Johnson-Henry, K. C., Donato, K. A., Shen-Tu, G., Gordanpour, M., Sherman, P. M. (2008). Lactobacillus rhamnosus Strain GG Prevents Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7-Induced Changes in Epithelial Barrier Function. Infect. Immun. 76: 1340-1348 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Seth, A., Yan, F., Polk, D. B., Rao, R. K. (2008). Probiotics ameliorate the hydrogen peroxide-induced epithelial barrier disruption by a PKC- and MAP kinase-dependent mechanism. Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest. Liver Physiol. 294: G1060-G1069 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Quigley, E. M M (2007). Probiotics in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: An Immunomodulatory Strategy?. J. Am. Coll. Nutr. 26: 684S-690S [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Eutamene, H., Bueno, L. (2007). Role of probiotics in correcting abnormalities of colonic flora induced by stress. Gut 56: 1495-1497 [Full Text]  
• Gareau, M. G, Jury, J., MacQueen, G., Sherman, P. M, Perdue, M. H (2007). Probiotic treatment of rat pups normalises corticosterone release and ameliorates colonic dysfunction induced by maternal separation. Gut 56: 1522-1528 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Soderholm, J. D (2007). Stress-related changes in oesophageal permeability: filling the gaps of GORD?. Gut 56: 1177-1180 [Abstract] [Full Text]