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Probiotics improve survival of septic rats by suppressing conditioned pathogens in ascites
Da-Quan Liu1, Qiao-Ying Gao, Hong-Bin Liu
1Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Acute Abdominal Diseases, Tianjin Nankai Hospital, Tianjin 300100, China.
Insights
Probiotics significantly improved survival rates in septic rats, with effects being dose-dependent. This treatment also reduced bacterial load and inflammation, suggesting probiotics can combat pathogens like Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Immunology
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Sepsis is a life-threatening condition characterized by a dysregulated host response to infection.
- Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in maintaining immune homeostasis and can be altered during sepsis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of probiotics in improving survival and reducing pathological markers in a rat model of sepsis.
- To investigate the impact of probiotics on bacterial load and intestinal inflammation in sepsis.
Main Methods:
- Sepsis was induced in rats using cecal ligation and puncture.
- Animals were treated with a mixture of Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, and Streptococcus thermophilus.
- Survival rates, bacterial populations in ascites and blood, and colonic mucosal inflammation were assessed.
Main Results:
- Probiotics treatment significantly increased survival rates in a dose-dependent manner (e.g., 80% with 1 dose vs. 30% in controls).
- Probiotics reduced bacterial counts in ascites and decreased the positive rate of hemoculture.
- Treatment led to a significant reduction in Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus populations and decreased intestinal inflammatory cell infiltration.
Conclusions:
- Probiotics demonstrate a significant survival benefit in a rat model of sepsis.
- The observed benefits are likely due to the suppression of key pathogens such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.
- Probiotics represent a potential therapeutic strategy for managing sepsis by modulating the gut microbiota and reducing inflammation.
Aim:
To investigate the benefits of probiotics treatment in septic rats.
Methods:
The septic rats were induced by cecal ligation and puncture. The animals of control, septic model and probiotics treated groups were treated with vehicle and mixed probiotics, respectively. The mixture of probiotics included Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. We observed the survival of septic rats using different amounts of mixed probiotics. We also detected the bacterial population in ascites and blood of experimental sepsis using cultivation and real-time polymerase chain reaction. The severity of mucosal inflammation in colonic tissues was determined.
Results:
Probiotics treatment improved survival of the rats significantly and this effect was dose dependent. The survival rate was 30% for vehicle-treated septic model group. However, 1 and 1/4 doses of probiotics treatment increased survival rate significantly compared with septic model group (80% and 55% vs 30%, P < 0.05). The total viable counts of bacteria in ascites decreased significantly in probiotics treated group compared with septic model group (5.20 ± 0.57 vs 9.81 ± 0.67, P < 0.05). The total positive rate of hemoculture decreased significantly in probiotics treated group compared with septic model group (33.3% vs 100.0%, P < 0.05). The population of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in ascites of probiotics treated group were decreased significantly compared with that of septic model group (3.93 ± 0.73 vs 8.80 ± 0.83, P < 0.05; 2.80 ± 1.04 vs 5.39 ± 1.21, P < 0.05). With probiotics treatment, there was a decrease in the scores of inflammatory cell infiltration into the intestinal mucosa in septic animals (1.50 ± 0.25 vs 2.88 ± 0.14, P < 0.01).
Conclusion:
Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus may be primary pathogens in septic rats. Probiotics improve survival of septic rats by suppressing these conditioned pathogens.
