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Salem MB, El-Lakkany NM, Hammam OA, Seif el-Din SH. Bacillus clausii spores maintain gut homeostasis in murine ulcerative colitis via modulating microbiota, apoptosis, and the TXNIP/NLRP3 inflammasome cascade. Toxicol Rep 2025; 14:101858. [PMID: 39802600 PMCID: PMC11721221 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2024.101858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2024] [Revised: 12/04/2024] [Accepted: 12/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/16/2025] Open
Abstract
Ulcerative colitis (UC), a persistent immune-mediated disorder lacking effective treatment, is distinguished by gut microbiota dysbiosis, abnormal activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway, and apoptosis. Despite growing attention to these factors, understanding their significance in UC pathogenesis remains a challenge. The present study explores the potential therapeutic impact of Bacillus clausii (Bc) spores in a murine UC model induced by drinking 4 % (w/v) dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in C57BL/6 mice. Subsequently, the DSS-induced mice were orally administered either Bc at varying concentrations (105 and 1010 Colony forming unit, CFU) or sulfasalazine (SSZ) at a dosage of 200 mg/kg for 7 days. The disease-specific activity index (DAI) was calculated daily utilizing parameters such as body weight, diarrhea, and bloody stool. Changes in fecal Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes abundance, colonic TXNIP and NLRP3 contents, as well as colonic caspase-1, IL-1β, Bax, and Bcl-2 expression, were investigated. Additionally, markers related to oxidative stress and inflammation, histopathological changes and caspase-3 immunohistochemistry testing were conducted. DSS-treated mice had significantly higher DAI scores compared to controls, indicating severe colitis. However, SSZ treatment or Bc (105 CFU) dramatically lowered DAI scores, with the highest Bc dosage (1010 CFU) producing the greatest improvement. Furthermore, Bc (1010 CFU) substantially (p < 0.05) boosted fecal Firmicutes while decreased Bacteroidetes, indicating reversal of gut dysbiosis. Bc effectively reduced colonic oxidative stress and inflammation by replenishing GSH and catalase and modulating the NF-κB, Nrf2/HO-1, and TXNIP/NLRP3 pathways. Additionally, Bc (1010 CFU) exhibited histologically almost normal mucosa, with maintained architecture and reduced apoptosis, as seen by normalization of Bcl2 and Bax with decreased caspase-3. Collectively, these findings point to the potential usefulness of Bc spores in preventing and treating DSS-induced colitis, positioning them as a promising candidate for UC management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maha B. Salem
- Pharmcology Department, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Giza, Egypt
| | | | - Olfat A. Hammam
- Pathology Department, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Giza, Egypt
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Sun Z, Qi T, Cheng B, Guo Y, Atehli D, Cui SW, Kang J, Guo Q. The Protective Effects of Pectic Polysaccharides on Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis in Drosophila melanogaster and Their Structure-Function Relationships. Nutrients 2025; 17:1738. [PMID: 40431477 PMCID: PMC12113875 DOI: 10.3390/nu17101738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2025] [Revised: 05/08/2025] [Accepted: 05/15/2025] [Indexed: 05/29/2025] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pectic polysaccharides exhibit therapeutic potential against intestinal inflammation. However, the influence of structural variations on their efficacy remains largely unexplored. METHODS This study investigated the structural and anti-inflammatory relationships of okra pectin (OP), citrus pectin (CP), apple pectin (AP), and hawthorn pectin (HP). Based on FT-IR spectra, CP was identified as a high-methoxyl pectin, with a degree of methyl esterification (DM) of 72.07 ± 3.86%. OP, AP, and HP were low-methoxyl pectins with the following DM values: 19.34 ± 3.04%, 32.11 ± 1.71%, and 38.67 ± 2.75%, respectively. RESULTS Monosaccharide composition analysis revealed that OP exhibited the highest abundance of RG-I regions among all the samples. Homogalacturonan (HG) was the predominant structural region in AP and HP, while CP contained both of the aforementioned structural regions. Our findings demonstrated that OP and CP significantly ameliorated dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in the wild-type Drosophila melanogaster strain w1118, as evidenced by improved intestinal morphology, reinforced intestinal barrier function, and enhanced locomotor and metabolic activity. These effects were mediated by the inhibition of JAK/STAT signaling and the activation of the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway. Notably, reducing the molecular weight of CP to 18.18 kDa significantly enhanced its therapeutic efficacy, whereas a reduction in OP molecular weight to 119.12 kDa extended its median lifespan. CONCLUSIONS These findings first suggest that abundant RG-I structures and low molecular weight endowed pectins with significant anti-inflammatory activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenou Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Technology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China; (Z.S.); (T.Q.); (B.C.); (Y.G.); (D.A.); (Q.G.)
| | - Tianyu Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Technology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China; (Z.S.); (T.Q.); (B.C.); (Y.G.); (D.A.); (Q.G.)
| | - Boyu Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Technology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China; (Z.S.); (T.Q.); (B.C.); (Y.G.); (D.A.); (Q.G.)
| | - Yingxiao Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Technology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China; (Z.S.); (T.Q.); (B.C.); (Y.G.); (D.A.); (Q.G.)
| | - Dima Atehli
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Technology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China; (Z.S.); (T.Q.); (B.C.); (Y.G.); (D.A.); (Q.G.)
| | - Steve W. Cui
- Guelph Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Guelph, ON N1G 5C9, Canada;
| | - Ji Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Technology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China; (Z.S.); (T.Q.); (B.C.); (Y.G.); (D.A.); (Q.G.)
| | - Qingbin Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Technology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, No. 29, 13th Avenue, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China; (Z.S.); (T.Q.); (B.C.); (Y.G.); (D.A.); (Q.G.)
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