Intestinal anti-inflammatory effects of oligosaccharides derived from lactulose in the trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid model of rat colitis
Intestinal microbiota modulation is becoming an interesting approach to manage inflammatory bowel disease and can be achieved by the administration of prebiotics. Previous studies showed the intestinal anti-inflammatory effects of the prebiotic lactulose. The aim of the present study was to test the preventative effects of oligosaccharides derived from lactulose with prebiotic properties (OsLu) in the trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid model of rat colitis and compare them with those of lactulose. Both treatments modified bacterial profile in intestinal contents, increasing the bifidobacteria and lactobacilli counts and up-regulating the production of short-chain fatty acids, although OsLu generated a larger amount. OsLu also inhibited to a greater extent different pro-inflammatory markers such as interleukins (IL) 1, 6, 12, and 23 and chemokines (MCP-1 and CINC-1). However, both prebiotics equally restored colonic epithelial integrity, evaluated both with a histological score (OsLu, 9.8 ± 2.2; and lactulose, 12.1 ± 2.1, vs colitic control, 27.3 ± 3.3) and by measuring several key proteins of the mucosal barrier (MUC-2, MUC-3, and TTF-3). OsLu effect was also associated with an inhibition of iNOS expression and a reduction of Th17 cell activity in the inflamed tissue that facilitated the intestinal mucosa barrier recovery. In conclusion, OsLu showed a better anti-inflammatory profile than lactulose in this model of experimental colitis. © 2014 American Chemical Society. ; This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity (SAF2011-29648), by Consolider-Ingenio 2010: FUNC-C-FOOD CSD 2007-00063, and by Junta de Andalucia (AGR-6826 and CTS 164) with funds from the European Union. F.A. is a predoctoral fellow of the Junta de Andalucia; J.G.-M. is a predoctoral fellow of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science; N.G.-M. is a postdoctoral fellow of the Ramon Areces Foundation; M.E.R.-C. is a postdoctoral fellow of CIBEREHD. CIBEREHD is funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III. ; Peer Reviewed
