Modulation of Intestinal Barrier, Inflammatory Response, and Gut Microbiota by <i>Pediococcus pentosaceus</i> zy-B Alleviates <i>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</i> Infection in C57BL/6J Mice
Rundong Wang, Yijia Deng, Yuhao Zhang, Xuepeng Li, Lijun Sun, Qi Deng, Ying Liu, Ravi Gooneratne, Jianrong Li
Abstract
Modulation of the intestinal barrier, inflammation, and gut microbiota by Pediococcus pentosaceus zy-B (zy-B) in Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp)-infected C57BL/6J mice was studied. Mice intragastrically pretreated with 108 colony-forming units (CFU) zy-B significantly alleviated Vp infection as evidenced by maintaining body weight and reduced disease activity index score and intestine ratio. In addition, zy-B reduced the Vp load in the ileum and cecum, significantly reduced the load in the colon, prevented colonic atrophy, and strengthened mucosal integrity. Mechanistically, zy-B ameliorated intestinal barrier dysfunction by upregulating tight junction protein expression, which in turn reduced the lipopolysaccharide, d-lactic acid (d-LA), and diamine oxidase concentrations and downregulated the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) and CB2 mRNA expressions. Moreover, zy-B systemically reduced inflammation by decreasing interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α levels, and increased interleukin-10 (IL-10), immunoglobulin M (IgM), and immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels in the colon and serum. Furthermore, zy-B markedly altered the gut microbiota composition by enriching Bifidobacterium, Akkermansia, and Lactobacillus in the colon. Overall, zy-B appears to act as a probiotic to alleviate Vp infection by protecting the intestinal barrier, reducing inflammation, and promoting the growth of “beneficial” gut microbiota.