Effects of the Oral Administration of a Probiotic Combination on the Expression of Cytokine and the Histopathology of the Large Intestine in an Animal Model of Enteritis

It is known that lactic-acid bacteria (LAB) helps keeping the intestine healthy and to enhance its immunologic competence. In addition, it is known to control the composition of the enterobacteria and the intestinal inflammatory reaction by inducing immunological enhancement. This study was performed, in a mouse model, to test the treatment and preventive effects of LAB of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which was induced by a blend of LAB-administering trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). To obtain the animal model of IBD, 2% TNBS was rectally administered once to a five-week-old male Balbc/J mouse. A probiotic combination was administered to the prevention group five times a week for eight weeks before the inducement of enteritis, and the mixture was administered to the treatment group five times a week, after the administration of TNBS. The changes in the levels of the cytokines of the lymph nodes and the tissue of the large intestine were observed, both with the naked eye and with a microscope. The observation showed that the levels of inflammatory cells, infiltration, and necrosis were much lower in the LAB-administered groups than in that of the control group. In addition, the inflammatory cytokines (e.g., TNF-α, IL-17A) decreased in the lymph nodes and the tissues of the large intestine. The results indicated that the administration of the combination to the animal model suppressed the inflammatory cytokines in the large intestine and in the lymph nodes, which in turn suppressed the progression of colitis.