Protective effect of bacillopeptidase CFR5 from Bacillus subtilis CFR5 on cerulein-induced pancreatitis

Bacillopeptidase is a serine peptidase, known for its fibrinolytic activity. However, a very little information is known about its in vivo inflammatory and/or anti-inflammatory properties. Thus, to understand whether bacillopeptidase incorporation can regulate pancreatitis or not, the cerulein-induced pancreatitis model was used, and the role of bacillopeptidase on pancreatitis was studied. In this study, 46 kDa protein was purified from Bacillus subtilis and identified as bacillopeptidase CFR5 (BPC) through MS/MS analysis. The nutritional prophylactic group was orally fed with two doses of BPC (100 μg/Kg/BW of rat) 6 h before cerulein administration and analyzed for its effect on intestine and pancreas inflammation, cytokines, and pancreatitis marker gene expression. BPC administration significantly reduced the severity of pancreatitis by decreasing serum amylase, lipase, pancreatic edema and myeloperoxidase activity. The pretreatment with BPC suppressed the pancreatic pro-inflammatory and inflammatory cytokines production including IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, and IL-13 in both pancreas and serum samples. Moreover, BPC supplementation restored pancreatitis mediated disruption of intestinal barrier integrity by upregulating tight junction proteins (ZO-1, occludin), antimicrobial peptides (DEFB1, CRAMP), MUC-2, TFF3 expression and by enhancing SCFA's production. Pretreatment with BPC suppressed the intestinal inflammation with reduced cytokines production in the colon and ileal region of cerulein-induced pancreatitis. Thus, BPC based pretreatment protocol is a novel intervention to prevent acute pancreatitis.