Antibiotics Modulate Intestinal Regeneration

Area of Science:

• Marine Biology
• Echinoderm Physiology
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Antibiotic use is widespread in biomedical and agricultural fields.
• Antibiotics can have unintended physiological and developmental effects beyond their intended purpose.
• The sea cucumber (Holothuria glaberrima) is a model organism for studying regeneration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of various antibiotics on intestinal regeneration in Holothuria glaberrima.
• To determine if antibiotics affect key regenerative processes such as rudiment size, ECM remodeling, cell proliferation, and muscle dedifferentiation.
• To elucidate the role of the enteric microbiota in mediating antibiotic-induced effects on regeneration.

Main Methods:

• Holothurians were eviscerated and exposed to penicillin/streptomycin cocktails with kanamycin, vancomycin, or erythromycin.
• Immunohistological and histochemical analyses assessed regenerative parameters.
• MTT assays and bacterial cultures evaluated metabolic activity and microbiota changes, respectively.

Main Results:

• All antibiotic treatments reduced muscle dedifferentiation.
• Vancomycin, erythromycin (4 µg/mL), and erythromycin (20 µg/mL) decreased extracellular matrix remodeling.
• Erythromycin (20 µg/mL) significantly reduced rudiment size, while vancomycin altered cell proliferation.

Conclusions:

• Antibiotics exert negative effects on sea cucumber intestinal regeneration.
• These detrimental effects are likely caused by alterations to the sea cucumber's enteric microbial community.
• The study highlights the broader ecological and physiological impacts of antibiotic pollution.