Blockade of T helper 17 cell function ameliorates recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection in mice

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a common infection of the gastrointestinal tract. Typically, 20%-30% of CDI patients experience recurrent C.difficile infection (RCDI). Although the role of Th17 in infectious and inflammatory diseases including CDI has gained attention, reports on the correlation between Th17 and RCDI are scarce. In this study, CDI and RCDI mice models were challenged with C. difficile. Serum lactic acid dehydrogenase, inflammatory factor levels, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, western blot analysis, hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry analysis, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were performed on the CDI, RCDI, and control group mice. The results showed more serious clinical manifestations in the RCDI group compared with those in the CDI group. More severe gut barrier disruption and higher degree of microbiota translocation were observed in the RCDI group compared with those in the CDI group. Moreover, extremely severe apoptosis was observed in HCT-116 cells incubated with the serum from RCDI mice model. In addition, higher levels of Th17 and IL-17 were detected in the blood or serum from the RCDI mouse model. Treatment with RORγt small molecule inhibitor SR1001 increased the expression of occludin, decreased the apoptotic rate of HCT-116 cells, and decreased the concentrations of Th17 and IL-17. Concisely, Th17 and IL-17 are potential indicators of RCDI and may serve as therapeutic targets for RCDI treatment. This study lays the foundation for future research on RCDI diagnosis and treatment.