Beneficial Microbes, 2015; 6(3): 277-286 Wageningen Academic Publisher s ISSN 1876-2833 print, ISSN 1876-2891 online, DOI 10.3920/BM2014.0070 277 1. Introduction Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are a group of inflammatory conditions of the large and small bowel. The major types of IBD are Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) (Xavier and Podolsky, 2007). The aetiology of both IBD still remains largely unclear, but it is accepted that a combination of genetic susceptibility characteristics and an altered immune response driven by microbial factors in the enteric environment contributes to the initiation and chronification of the disease (Wirtz et al., 2007). UC has as standard treatment the use of corticosteroids and anti- inflammatory drugs. The use of antibiotics has also been reported, but some of their possible adverse effects, such as induction of antimicrobial resistance and of ecological disturbance in the indigenous microbiota, should be taken into consideration. For this reason, the use of probiotics has emerged as a real alternative treatment, especially in mild cases of the disease. Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis BB-02 attenuates acute murine experimental model of inflammatory bowel disease S.D.A. Elian 1# , E.L.S. Souza 1# , A.T. Vieira 1,2 , M.M. Teixeira 2 , R.M.E. Arantes 3 , J.R. Nicoli 1 and F.S. Martins 1* 1 Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Avenida Presidente Antônio Carlos 6627, Pampulha Campus UFMG, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; 2 Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Avenida Presidente Antônio Carlos 6627, Pampulha Campus UFMG, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; 3 Department of General Pathology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Avenida Presidente Antônio Carlos 6627, Pampulha Campus UFMG, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; flaviano@icb.ufmg.br; # authors contributed equally to this work Received: 26 May 2014 / Accepted: 25 August 2014 © 2014 Wageningen Academic Publishers RESEARCH ARTICLE Abstract Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic inflammatory conditions, characterised by remissions and relapses episodes, whose main manifestations are ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Ulcerative colitis (UC), one of the main forms of IBD, has as standard treatment the use of corticosteroids and anti-inflammatory drugs. The use of antibiotics has been also reported, but the possible adverse effects, such as disturbance of the indigenous microbiota or resistance induction, should be taken into consideration, and thus the use of probiotics emerges as a possible alternative option of treatment. In this study, the oral administration of Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis BB-02 was evaluated as a preventive strategy for acute experimental UC induced in female BALB/c mice by ingestion of 3.5% dextran sulphate sodium in drinking water during 7 days. During this time, the daily disease activity index was evaluated, and on the seventh day the animals were euthanised to collect intestines and liver for analysis. Treatment with the probiotic resulted in clinical improvement of the animals. The histological and morphometric analyses showed a reduction of lesions and oedema in the gut, but there was no increase in the production of mucin. The dosage of secretory immunoglobulin A was significantly higher in the colitis group and reduced in the group treated with the probiotic. There was also a reduction in the inflammation of the colon, as demonstrated by a decrease in neutrophils infiltration, and KC/CXCL-1 levels. The intestinal permeability, which is typically increased during the onset of IBD, was also reduced by treatment with probiotic. Based on these data, it can be concluded that the bacterium B. infantis BB-02 has a probiotic potential for the attenuation of UC, but further studies should be conducted to verify the mechanism of protective action of the bacterium. Keywords: Inflammatory bowel diseases, ulcerative colitis, Bifidobacterium infantis, inflammatory cytokines http://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/pdf/10.3920/BM2014.0070 - Sunday, October 08, 2017 11:50:45 PM - Göteborgs Universitet IP Address:130.241.16.16