Toll-like receptor 2 plays a critical role in maintaining mucosal integrity during Citrobacter rodentium-induced colitis

Inflammatory bowel diseases and infectious gastroenteritis likely occur when the integrity of intestinal barriers is disrupted allowing luminal bacterial products to cross into the intestinal mucosa, stimulating immune cells and triggering inflammation. While specific Toll-like receptors (TLR) are involved in the generation of inflammatory responses against enteric bacteria, their contributions to the maintenance of intestinal mucosal integrity are less clear. These studies investigated the role of TLR2 in a model of murine colitis induced by the bacterial pathogen Citrobacter rodentium . C. rodentium supernatants specifically activated TLR2 in vitro while infected TLR2–/– mice suffered a lethal colitis coincident with colonic mucosal ulcerations, bleeding and increased cell death but not increased pathogen burden. TLR2–/– mice suffered impaired epithelial barrier function mediated via zonula occludens (ZO)-1 in naïve mice and claudin-3 in infected mice, suggesting this could underlie their susceptibility. TLR2 deficiency was also associated with impaired production of IL-6 by bone marrow-derived macrophages and infected colons cultured ex vivo . As IL-6 has antiapoptotic and epithelial repair capabilities, its reduced expression could contribute to the impaired mucosal integrity. These studies report for the first time that TLR2 plays a critical role in maintaining intestinal mucosal integrity during infection by a bacterial pathogen.     

Saccharomyces boulardii effects on gastrointestinal diseases

Health benefits attributed to probiotics have been described for decades. They include the treatment and the prevention of gastrointestinal diseases, vaginal and urinary infections and allergies. Saccharomyces boulardii, a species of yeast widely distributed, has been described as a biotherapeutic agent since several clinical trials displayed its beneficial effects in the prevention and the treatment of intestinal infections and in the maintenance of inflammatory bowel disease. All these diseases are characterized by acute diarrhoea. Administration of the yeast in combination or not with an antibiotherapy has shown to decrease significantly the duration and the frequency of diarrhoea. Experimental studies elucidated partially the molecular mechanisms triggered to improve the host health. The discovery of its anti-inflammatory and immuno-modulatory activities in correlation with the advances in the understanding of mucosal immunology opens a new field of perspectives in S. boulardii therapeutic applications.     

MyD88 signalling plays a critical role in host defence by controlling pathogen burden and promoting epithelial cell homeostasis during Citrobacter rodentium-induced colitis

Myeloid differentiation factor (MyD)88, an adaptor protein shared by the Toll-interleukin 1 receptor superfamily, plays a critical role in host defence during many systemic bacterial infections by inducing protective inflammatory responses that limit bacterial growth. However, the role of innate responses during gastrointestinal (GI) infections is less clear, in part because the GI tract is tolerant to commensal antigens. The current study investigated the role of MyD88 following infection by the murine bacterial pathogen, Citrobacter rodentium . MyD88-deficient mice suffered a lethal colitis coincident with colonic mucosal ulcerations and bleeding. Their susceptibility was associated with an overwhelming bacterial burden and selectively impaired immune responses in colonic tissues, which included delayed inflammatory cell recruitment, reduced iNOS and abrogated production of TNF-α and IL-6 from MyD88-deficient macrophages and colons cultured ex vivo . Immunostaining for Ki67 and BrDU revealed that MyD88 signalling mediated epithelial hyper-proliferation in response to C. rodentium infection. Thus, MyD88-deficient mice could not promote epithelial cell turnover and repair, leading to deep bacterial invasion of colonic crypts, intestinal barrier dysfunction and, ultimately, widespread mucosal ulcerations. In conclusion, MyD88 signalling within the GI tract plays a critical role in mediating host defence against an enteric bacterial pathogen, by controlling bacterial numbers and promoting intestinal epithelial homeostasis.     

布拉酵母联合美沙拉嗪对溃疡性结肠炎患者氧化应激的影响及疗效观察

目的 探讨布拉酵母联合美沙拉嗪对溃疡性结肠炎（UC）患者氧化应激的影响及疗效。方法 选取2016年7月至2017年12月我院内科门诊治疗的活动期UC患者76例,随机分为观察组和对照组。对照组患者予以美沙拉嗪肠溶片1.0 g/次,4次/d,口服。观察组在对照组基础上加用布拉酵母0.5 g/次,2次/d,连用8周。观察并比较两组患者治疗前后的血清一氧化氮（NO）、氧化低密度脂蛋白（ox-LDL）、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（GSH-Px）和超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）水平的变化,并评估患者临床疗效和不良反应。结果 治疗8周后,两组患者血清NO和ox-LDL水平较治疗前明显下降,GSH-Px和SOD水平较前明显上升（P0.05）。结论 布拉酵母联合美沙拉嗪肠溶片治疗UC患者的效果确切,安全性较高,其作用机制可能与其能降低血清NO和ox-LDL水平,升高血清GSH-Px和SOD水平,减轻氧化应激对肠黏膜损伤密切相关。     

Experimental effects of Saccharomyces boulardii on diarrheal pathogens

Saccharomyces boulardii is a selected strain of yeast that may have applications in the prevention and treatment of intestinal infections. The animal models and in vitro studies developed to elucidate the mechanisms of this protection are reviewed and discussed.     

Type-III effectors: sophisticated bacterial virulence factors

Bacterial pathogens cause a wide spectrum of diseases in human and other animals. Some virulence factors, which are referred to as effectors, are directly translocated into the host cell via an injection apparatus, i.e., the type-III secretion system. Most effectors mimic host molecules, and translocated effectors are thereby able to perturb or modulate host cell signaling, cytoskeletal rearrangement, vesicular traffic, and autophagy, thus eliciting disease. Effectors are roughly classified among exotoxins, but in most cases, their functions are exerted focally when they are translocated into the host cell.     

布拉酵母对炎症性肠病的治疗作用

炎症性肠病包括溃疡性结肠炎和克罗恩病, 其病因与发病机制尚未完全明确。大量研究表明, 肠道微生物在炎症性肠病的发生、发展中发挥重要作用。布拉酵母是一种有益于人体健康的肠道微生物, 研究发现能有效改善炎症性肠病症状, 可能与其抑制肠道致病菌、增强肠屏障功能、调节肠道黏膜免疫反应等有关。     

Enhanced bacterial virulence through exploitation of host glycosaminoglycans

Present in the extracellular matrix and membranes of virtually all animal cells, proteoglycans (PGs) are among the first host macromolecules encountered by infectious agents. Because of their wide distribution and direct accessibility, it is not surprising that pathogenic bacteria have evolved mechanisms to exploit PGs for their own purposes, including mediating attachment to target cells. This is achieved through the expression of adhesins that recognize glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) linked to the core protein of PGs. Some pathogens, such as Bordetella pertussis and Chlamydia trachomatis, may express more than one GAG-binding adhesin. Bacterial interactions with PGs may also facilitate cell invasion or systemic dissemination, as observed for Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Mycobacterium tuberculosis respectively. More-over, pathogenic bacteria can use PGs to enhance their virulence via a shedding of PGs that leads to there lease of effectors that weaken the host defences.The exploitation of PGs by pathogenic bacteria is thus a multifaceted mechanistic process directly related to the potential virulence of a number of microorganisms.     

Citrobacter rodentium virulence in mice associates with bacterial load and the type III effector NleE

Severe disease caused by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) has been associated with a pathogenicity island, O-Island 122, which encodes the type III secretion system-effector NleE. Here we show that full virulence of the related attaching and effacing mouse pathogen Citrobacter rodentium requires NleE. Relative to wild-type bacteria, nleE-mutant C. rodentium are attenuated for colonisation in mice in both single and mixed infections. Examination of the ability of nleE-mutant bacteria to induce pathologic change in vivo revealed that nleE-mutant bacteria induce significantly less pathologic change than wild-type bacteria in susceptible mice. Consistent with these results, mice infected with nleE-mutant bacteria exhibit delayed mortality. These results suggested that pathologic change during attaching and effacing pathogen infection may associate with the degree of pathogen colonisation. Using mutants of 23 type III secretion genes, including the type III effectors nleC, nleD, nleE and nleF, the association of pathologic change with the ability of these mutants to colonise mice was examined. The induction of in vivo disease correlates strongly with the degree of colonisation, suggesting that the colonisation advantage type III secretion genes afford the bacteria, contribute to, and are required for, full virulence.     

硝呋太尔制霉素阴道软胶囊联合布拉酵母对细菌性阴道病的疗效及安全性评价

目的 探讨硝呋太尔制霉素阴道软胶囊联合布拉酵母对细菌性阴道病（BV）的临床疗效及安全性。方法 将90例门诊收治的BV患者随机分为治疗组与对照组各45例,对照组患者采用硝呋太尔制霉素阴道软胶囊1粒（500 mg）,清洁外阴后放入阴道深部,每晚一次。观察组患者在对照组基础上联合布拉酵母0.5 g/次,2次/d,口服,2周为一个疗程。比较两组患者临床疗效、复发率及不良反应发生率。结果 观察组患者总有效率显著高于对照组（93.33％ vs 77.77％）,复发率显著低于对照组（60.00% vs 12.00）,差异均有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。两组患者不良反应发生率差异无统计学意义（17.78% vs 15.56%,P>0.05）。结论 阴道内用药联合口服益生菌对BV患者的疗效优于单一阴道内给药,患者复发率低,安全性较高。     

Anti-inflammatory effects of Saccharomyces boulardii mediated by myeloid dendritic cells from patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis

Saccharomyces boulardii (Sb) is a probiotic yeast that has demonstrated efficacy in pilot studies in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Microbial antigen handling by dendritic cells (DC) is believed to be of critical importance for immunity and tolerance in IBD. The aim was to characterize the effects of Sb on DC from IBD patients. Highly purified (>95%), lipopolysaccharide-stimulated CD1c(+)CD11c(+)CD123(-) myeloid DC (mDC) from patients with ulcerative colitis (UC; n = 36), Crohn's disease (CD; n = 26), or infectious controls (IC; n = 4) were cultured in the presence or absence of fungal supernatant from Sb (SbS). Phenotype and cytokine production and/or secretion of IBD mDC were measured by flow cytometry and cytometric bead arrays, respectively. T cell phenotype and proliferation were assessed in a mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) with allogenic CD4(+)CD45RA(+) na?ve T cells from healthy donors. Mucosal healing was investigated in epithelial wounding and migration assays with IEC-6 cells. SbS significantly decreased the frequency of CD40-, CD80-, and CD197 (CCR7; chemokine receptor-7)-expressing IBD mDC and reduced their secretion of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6 while increasing IL-8. In the MLR, SbS significantly inhibited T cell proliferation induced by IBD mDC. Moreover, SbS inhibited T(H)1 (TNF-α and interferon-γ) polarization induced by UC mDC and promoted IL-8 and transforming growth factor-β-dependent mucosal healing. In summary, we provide novel evidence of synergistic mechanisms how Sb controls inflammation (inhibition of T cell costimulation and inflammation-associated migration and mobilization of DC) and promotes epithelial restitution relevant in IBD.     

Prevention of Clostridium difficile-induced experimental pseudomembranous colitis by Saccharomyces boulardii: a scanning electron microscopic and microbiological study

The ability of Saccharomyces boulardii to protect mice against intestinal pathology caused by toxinogenic Clostridium difficile was studied. Different regions of the intestine of experimental mice were prepared for observation by scanning electron microscopy or homogenized for C. difficile enumeration and quantification of toxin A by enzyme immunoassay and toxin B by cytotoxicity. The test group was treated for 6 d with an S. boulardii suspension in drinking water and challenged with C. difficule on day 4. The three control groups were: axenic mice, mice treated with only S. boulardii and mice only challenged with C. difficile. The results showed that: (i) 70% of the mice infected by C. difficile survived when treated with S. boulardii; (ii) the C. difficile-induced lesions on the small and large intestinal mucosa were absent or markedly less severe in S. boulardii-treated mice; and (iii) there was no decrease in the number of C. difficile but rather a reduction in the amount of toxins A and B in S. boulardii-treated mice.     

布拉酵母菌防治肠道疾病的研究进展

布拉酵母菌(Saccharomyces boulardii)是一种从印尼荔枝中分离出的益生菌,广泛用于肠道疾病的防治,本研究根据近年来的文献,对布拉酵母菌在防治肠道疾病中的研究进展进行了综述.     

Modifying action of Saccharomyces boulardii on the biological properties of enterobacteria

The influence of the exometabolites of the fungus S. boulardii, contained in the probiotic preparation "Enterol", on the biological properties of opportunistic and pathogenic enterobacteria of fecal microflora (inactivation of lysozyme, colicin production, hemolytic activity, antibiotic resistance) was studied. The study revealed that the supernatants of S. boulardii decreased antilysozyme activity (ALA) in lactose positive (lac+) and lactose negative (lac-) Escherichia coli and Klebsiella strains, but produced no influence on ALA in Salmonella. In response to the action of S. boulardii exometabolites colicin production in E. coli (lac+) was found to increase, while in E. coli (lac-) colicin production was suppressed. An increase in the sensitivity of lactose negative E. coli to cefazolin and cefotaxime under the action of S. boulardii supenatants was noted. The results obtained in this study show the probable mechanism of the corrective action of "Enterol" on intestinal biocenosis, which should be taken into consideration in the differentiated selection of probiotics for the treatment of intestinal dysbacteriosis.     

布拉氏酵母菌对肝硬化模型大鼠的影响

目的研究布拉氏酵母菌能否通过改善肠源性内毒素血症、肠道环境改善四氯化碳诱导的肝硬化模型大鼠肝纤维化的程度。方法50只雄性Wistar大鼠随机分为正常组（8只）、模型组（20只）、预防组（14只）和治疗组（8只）。预防组在制模同时给予喂服布拉氏酵母菌制剂,治疗组在制模成功后开始给予喂服布拉氏酵母菌制剂,正常组和模型组给予同等生理盐水喂服。实验过程中每周称量所有大鼠体重,观察其日常生活习性,实验在18周末处死所有大鼠,HE染色观察肝脏病理改变,测定血清中天冬氨酸转氨酶（AST）、丙氨酸转氨酶（ALT）、丙二醛（MDA）和白蛋白（ALB）水平及血浆内毒素含量,用变性梯度凝胶电泳法检测大鼠肠道菌群情况。结果正常组[（0．052±0．005）EU／mL]、预防组[（0．058±0．028）EU／mL]和治疗组[（0．230±0．027）EU／mL]大鼠血浆中的内毒素明显低于模型组[（0．310±0．039）EU／mL]（P〈0．05）。预防组和正常组大鼠血浆内毒素含量有区别,但差异无统计学意义。通过变性梯度凝胶电泳发现正常组大鼠肠道菌群数量明显好于模型组,肝硬化大鼠肠道菌群失衡。而治疗组介于预防组和模型组之间。结论布拉氏酵母菌对于改善肝硬化模型大鼠肠道菌群情况,减少肠源性内毒素血症有重要意义。     

Influence of pH conditions on the viability of Saccharomyces boulardii yeast

Saccharomyces boulardii is a probiotic with proven health benefits. However its survival is challenged by gastrointestinal transit, and a ratio between 1 and 3% of living yeast is recovered in the feces after oral administration. The aim of the study was to determine to what extent the yeast was sensitive to gastrointestinal pH conditions. Therefore we explored the survival of different concentrations of S. boulardii in conditions mimicking the stomach pH (pH 1.1 0.1 N HCl) and the intestinal pH (pH 6.8 phosphate buffer) in vitro. The probiotic being commercialized as a freeze-dried powder obtained from an aqueous suspension, both forms were evaluated. In phosphate buffer pH 6.8, the viability remained stable for both forms of S. boulardii for 6 h. In HCl pH 1.1, viability of both forms (200 mg L(-1)) significantly decreased from 5 min. Observation under scanning/transmission electron microscopy showed morphological damages and rupture of the yeast wall. Threshold value from which S. boulardii viability was unaltered was pH 4. At the highest concentration of 200 g L(-1), the initial pH value of 1.1 rose to 3.2, exerting a protective effect. In conclusion, although the yeast in aqueous suspension was less sensitive than the freeze-dried yeast to acidic conditions, a gastric protection for improvement of oral bioavailability of viable S. boulardii appears necessary.     

Identification of disulfide bond isomerase substrates reveals bacterial virulence factors

Bacterial pathogens are exposed to toxic molecules inside the host and require efficient systems to form and maintain correct disulfide bonds for protein stability and function. The intracellular pathogen Francisella tularensis encodes a disulfide bond formation protein ortholog, DsbA, which previously was reported to be required for infection of macrophages and mice. However, the molecular mechanisms by which F. tularensis DsbA contributes to virulence are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that F. tularensis DsbA is a bifunctional protein that oxidizes and, more importantly, isomerizes complex disulfide connectivity in substrates. A single amino acid in the conserved cis‐proline loop of the DsbA thioredoxin domain was shown to modulate both isomerase activity and F. tularensis virulence. Trapping experiments in F. tularensis identified over 50 F. tularensis DsbA substrates, including outer membrane proteins, virulence factors, and many hypothetical proteins. Six of these hypothetical proteins were randomly selected and deleted, revealing two novel proteins, FTL_1548 and FTL_1709, which are required for F. tularensis virulence. We propose that the extreme virulence of F. tularensis is partially due to the bifunctional nature of DsbA, that many of the newly identified substrates are required for virulence, and that the development of future DsbA inhibitors could have broad anti‐bacterial implications.