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Evaluation of microbial and vancomycin treatments in ulcerative colitis in murine models
Nihal Hasan1,2, Hongyi Yang3
1Department of Clinical Immunology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Sciences and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
Background:
Despite the number of available therapies for ulcerative colitis (UC), severe side effects and high cost has limited their clinical application. Thus, finding new alternative strategies with minimal side effects is inevitable. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effectiveness of different therapeutic approaches in DSS-induced colitis.
Methods:
Firstly, we designed oral bio-therapeutic products, Live Bacterial Products (LBP), which include a mixture of fecal bacteria strains isolated from healthy mice and prepared by microencapsulation and freeze-dried techniques. Then we investigated the efficiency of 7 days of freeze-dried FMT, LBP, and vancomycin treatments in DSS-induced colitis. Secondly, we compared the effect of 15 days of microbial therapies (freeze-dried powder of FMT and LBP microcapsules) and seven days of oral vancomycin on the severity of colitis in mice. Furthermore, the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α were measured in serum by ELISA, and the fecal microbiota diversity was analyzed by high-throughput sequencing for all mice groups.
Results:
After seven days of treatments, our results indicated that oral vancomycin reduced the severity of DSS-induced colitis in mice, where weight gain and a decrease in IL-1 β and TNF-α levels were observed in the vancomycin group compared with other treatment groups. While after two weeks of treatment, the LBP microcapsules were able to reduce the severity of colitis. And at the end of the treatment period, weight gain and a decrease in the DAI scores and the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α were noted in the LBP treatment group compared to other treatment groups. By high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, our results showed that while the microcapsules LBP treatment increased the fecal microbial diversity, after vancomycin therapy, most of the fecal microbiota genera and operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were depleted.
Conclusion:
Our results concluded that treatment duration and preparation methods affect the microbial therapies' efficiency in UC. Furthermore, this study highlighted the negative consequences of oral vancomycin administration on gut health that should be known before using this medication.
Insights
Live Bacterial Products (LBP) microcapsules effectively treated colitis in mice over two weeks, improving gut health and microbial diversity. Oral vancomycin showed short-term benefits but negatively impacted gut microbiota composition.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Gastroenterology
- Immunology
Background:
- Existing ulcerative colitis (UC) therapies have limitations due to severe side effects and high costs.
- Novel therapeutic strategies with improved safety profiles are needed for effective UC management.
- This study addresses the need for alternative UC treatments by evaluating microbial therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of different therapeutic approaches, including Live Bacterial Products (LBP) and vancomycin, in a mouse model of DSS-induced colitis.
- To investigate the impact of treatment duration and preparation methods on microbial therapy effectiveness.
- To assess the effects of these treatments on gut microbiota diversity and inflammatory markers.
Main Methods:
- Development of oral bio-therapeutic products (LBP) using microencapsulation and freeze-drying techniques with fecal bacteria strains.
- Administration of freeze-dried fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), LBP, and vancomycin for 7 days, followed by a 15-day comparison of microbial therapies (FMT, LBP microcapsules) and vancomycin.
- Measurement of serum IL-1β and TNF-α levels via ELISA and analysis of fecal microbiota diversity using high-throughput sequencing.
Main Results:
- Short-term (7 days) vancomycin treatment reduced colitis severity, decreased IL-1β and TNF-α, and increased weight gain.
- Long-term (15 days) LBP microcapsule treatment significantly reduced colitis severity, improved DAI scores, decreased inflammatory markers, and promoted weight gain.
- LBP microcapsules enhanced fecal microbial diversity, whereas vancomycin depleted gut microbiota genera and operational taxonomic units (OTUs).
Conclusions:
- Treatment duration and preparation methods are critical factors influencing the efficacy of microbial therapies for UC.
- LBP microcapsules demonstrate potential as an effective therapeutic strategy for colitis, promoting gut health and microbial diversity.
- Oral vancomycin may have detrimental long-term effects on gut microbiota, warranting caution in its clinical application for colitis.
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