Multi-Strain Probiotic Lysate Attenuates TGF-β1-Induced Intestinal Fibrosis and EMT Modulating Smad, Akt, and...

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Cell Biology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Intestinal fibrosis is a serious complication of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).
• Current antifibrotic treatments are limited in efficacy and safety.
• Probiotics are emerging as potential agents to combat fibrotic processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the anti-fibrotic effects of a multi-strain probiotic formulation, OxxySlab.
• To evaluate OxxySlab's impact on intestinal fibrosis and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro.
• To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying OxxySlab's action.

Main Methods:

• In vitro models using human intestinal fibroblasts (CCD-18Co) and epithelial cells (Caco-2).
• Induction of fibrosis and EMT using transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1).
• Assessment of cell proliferation, fibrosis markers, TGF-β1 signaling, and EMT markers via CCK-8 assay, Western blotting, immunofluorescence, and RT-qPCR.

Main Results:

• OxxySlab treatment modulated cell proliferation and key fibrosis markers.
• The probiotic formulation inhibited both canonical and non-canonical TGF-β1 signaling pathways.
• OxxySlab reversed EMT phenotypes by restoring epithelial markers and reducing mesenchymal markers.

Conclusions:

• The multi-strain probiotic OxxySlab demonstrates significant anti-fibrotic potential in vitro.
• OxxySlab targets critical pathways involved in intestinal fibrosis and EMT.
• This probiotic formulation may serve as an adjunctive therapy for IBD-associated intestinal fibrosis.