Background/aims: Saccharomyces boulardii (S. boulardii) has been reported to be beneficial in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, however, little is known about its mechanism of action. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) is recently found to regulate inflammation in intestinal epithelial cells. We hypothesized that the anti-inflammatory effects of S. boulardii are mediated, in part, through PPAR-gamma. To test this hypothesis, we examined the ability of S. boulardii to modulate the expression of PPAR-gamma in human colon cells.
Methods: Effects of S. boulardii on survival and proliferation of HT-29 human colon cells were assessed by MTT and [3H]thymidine incorporation assays. PPAR-gamma expression was assessed by Western blot and RT-PCR. Induction of interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression by tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was assessed by RT-PCR.
Results: S. boulardii did not affect viability and proliferation of HT-29 cells. S. boulardii up-regulated PPAR-gamma expression at both mRNA and protein levels. Pretreatment of HT-29 cells with S. boulardii blocked PPAR-gamma down-regulation by TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, or LPS, whereas it ameliorated IL-8 response to these proinflammatory factors.
Conclusions: S. boulardii stimulates PPAR-gamma expression and reduces response of human colon cells to proinflammatory cytokines.