Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 alleviated DSS-induced colitis by modulating immunological profiles, gut microbiota and intestinal metabolites in a mouse model

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and substantial clinical evidence suggests that probiotic supplementation demonstrates efficacy and safety. Our study investigated the protective effect of Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 (LH R0052) on dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice and its potential mechanism. The results indicated that, compared with the control group, administration of DSS significantly reduced body weight, shortened colon length, augmented the disease activity index (DAI), exacerbated histological damage, induced inflammation and oxidative stress, disrupted the intestinal barrier, and caused dysbiosis of the gut microbiota and metabolic imbalance. The administration of LH R0052 exerted protective effect against colitis by improving the phenotypic presentation, suppressing the proliferation of harmful gut bacteria, modulating immune responses, protecting the intestinal barrier, and restoring the gut microbiota and metabolic homeostasis. In conclusion, this study suggested that LH R0052 exhibited potential effecacy in alleviating DSS-induced UC and hold promise as a probiotic for mitigating intestinal inflammation.

溃疡性结肠炎（Ulcerative colitis, UC）是炎症性肠病（Inflammatory Bowel Disease, IBD）的一种亚型，诸多临床证据表明益生菌补充剂具备良好的疗效与安全性。本研究探究了瑞士乳杆菌R0052（Lactobacillus helveticus R0052, LH R0052）对葡聚糖硫酸钠（Dextran Sulfate Sodium, DSS）诱导的小鼠结肠炎的保护作用及其潜在机制。结果显示，与对照组相比，DSS造模可显著降低小鼠体重、缩短结肠长度、升高疾病活动指数（Disease Activity Index, DAI）、加剧组织学损伤、诱发炎症与氧化应激、破坏肠屏障功能，并引发肠道菌群失调与代谢紊乱。瑞士乳杆菌R0052干预可通过改善结肠炎表型、抑制有害肠道菌群增殖、调节免疫应答、保护肠屏障以及恢复肠道菌群稳态与代谢平衡，发挥抗结肠炎的保护作用。综上，本研究表明瑞士乳杆菌R0052在缓解DSS诱导的溃疡性结肠炎方面具有潜在疗效，有望作为减轻肠道炎症的益生菌制剂应用。