ProbioticeffectsofLactobacilluscaseionDSS-inducedulcerativecolitisinmiceM.V.Herı´asa,T,1,J.F.J.G.Koninkxb,J.G.Vosb,c,J.H.J.Huisin’tVelda,d,F,J.E.vanDijkbaDepartmentofPublicHealthandFoodSafety,FacultyofVeterinaryMedicine,UtrechtUniversity,Yalelaan2,3584CMUtrecht,TheNetherlandsbDepartmentofPathobiology,Yalelaan1,3584CLUtrecht,FacultyofVeterinaryMedicine,UtrechtUniversity,TheNetherlandscLaboratoryforToxicology,PathologyandGenetics,NationalInstituteofPublicHealthandtheEnvironment,AntonievanLeeuwenhoeklaan9,3720BABilthoven,TheNetherlandsdYakultNederlandB.V.,Prof.J.H.Bavincklaan5,1183ATAmstelveen,TheNetherlandsReceived20February2004;receivedinrevisedform30August2004;accepted26November2004AbstractWetestedtheeffectofLactobacilluscaseistrainShirota(LcS)onthemurinemodelofulcerativecolitisinducedbydextransodiumsulphate.TheeffectofLcSwastestedeitherasaprophylactic10daysbeforetheonsetofthedisease,simultaneouslywithulcerativecolitisinductionorcontinued10daysafterthediseasewasinduced.LcSwasnotabletopreventthediseaseinductioninanyoftheexperiments.However,importantclinicalparametersincludingbloodanemiaindicators,bodyweight,andorganweightwereimprovedintheanimalsreceivingLcSascomparedwiththeulcerativecolitis-inducedcontrols.IncreasedcolonicepithelialregenerationintheLcStreatedanimalswasobservedinthechronicstage.TheresultsseemedbetterforthesimultaneousshortLcStreatmentwheresomeparametersremainedsimilartothePBScontrols,includingdiseaseactivityscoresmeasuredintheacutestage.WecanconcludethatalthoughLcSalonecannotpreventtheinductionofulcerativecolitisbydextransodiumsulphate,itcanimprovetheclinicalconditionofthemice.Thiscouldimplyimportantbiologicalconsequencesforthehumansituation.FurtherstudiesincludingLcSorotherprobioticbacteriatogetherwiththeavailabletreatmentareencouraged.D2005ElsevierB.V.Allrightsreserved.Keywords:LactobacilluscaseistrainShirota;Dextransodiumsulphate-inducedulcerativecolitis;Mice;Probiotics1.IntroductionInflammatorybowel’sdisease(IBD)comprisesCrohn’sdisease(CD)andulcerativecolitis(UC).Bothillnessesaregrowingimportantproblemsinindustrializedcountriesandhavebeenassociated0168-1605/$-seefrontmatterD2005ElsevierB.V.Allrightsreserved.doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2004.11.032TCorrespondingauthor.Tel.:+31774629010;fax:+31302532365.E-mailaddress:veronica@mytrinity.nl(M.V.Herı´as).1PresentAddress:MaastrichtUniversity,DepartmentofCardiol-ogy,MolecularandExperimentalCardiology,Universiteitssingel50,6229ERMaastricht,TheNetherlands.Tel.:+31433882959;fax:+31433871055.FDeceased.InternationalJournalofFoodMicrobiology103(2005)143–155www.elsevier.com/locate/ijfoodmicrowithcoloncancerrisk(Langholzetal.,1992;Gillenetal.,1994).Theetiologyofbothdiseasesisstillunknownbutitislikelythatitinvolvesgenetic,environmentalandimmunologicalfactors.UCisadisorderinvolvingthelargeintestineandischarac-terizedbycontiguousinflammationofthecoloniclaminapropriawithsubsequentinjuryanddisrup-tionofthemucosalbarrier.AnewworkinghypothesissuggeststhatUCisasetofdiseaseswithsimilaranddistinctiveclinicalphenotypes(KarpandTargan,1999).Animalmodelshavebeenintroducedtohelpinstudyingthediseaseprocess.ThemousemodelinwhichUCcanbeinducedusingdextransodiumsulphate(DSS),isadvanta-geous.Firstly,itexhibitsmanysymptomswhicharesimilartothoseseeninhumanUC.Thesesymp-tomsencompassdiarrhea,fecalblood,bodyweightloss,mucosalulceration,...