Improved adhesion and function of Pediococcus pentosaceus Li05 for acute colitis through surface modification

Probiotics have been widely used as an adjuvant therapy to treat or prevent various diseases. However, therapeutic effect is usually contingent on the ability of the probiotic cells to adhere to and colonize the gastrointestinal tract. Pediococcus pentosaceus Li05 has previously been shown anti-inflammatory effect, however, its mucoadhesive ability limited further application. In this study, MUC2 antibody was used as an adhesin and conjugated to the surface of Li05 (M-Li05) and our results demonstrated that the adhesion and colonization resistance were significantly improved in vitro. Moreover, competitive adhesion experiments in mice demonstrated that Li05 outcompeted Citrobacter rodentium; an effect even more pronounced with M-Li05. The study also showed that M-Li05 significantly reduced colonic histological injury, alleviated inflammation and decreased pathogens colonization in the C. rodentium-infected and DSS-induced colitis mouse model. In summary, the results demonstrated that M-Li05 showed promise for future application as a therapeutic strategy for colitis.