Impact of Oral Probiotics in Amelioration of Immunological and Inflammatory Responses on Experimentally Induced Acute Diverticulitis.

Acute diverticulitis is inflammation of a colon diverticulum; it represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The alteration of gut microbiota contributes to the promotion of inflammation and the development of acute diverticulitis disease. Probiotics can modify the gut microbiota, so they are considered a promising option for managing diverticulitis disease. This study aimed to investigate the potential protective effect of probiotics, alone or in combination with amoxicillin, on the experimentally induced model of acute diverticulitis disease. Forty-two rats were divided into seven groups as follows: control group: received water and food only; DSS group: received 3% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) daily for 7 days; LPS group: injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) enema at the dose of (4 mg/kg); probiotics group: treated with probiotics (Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis) each of which (4 × 108 CFU suspended in 2 ml distilled water) orally for 7 days; DSS/LPS group: received DSS and LPS; DSS/LPS treated with probiotics group; DSS/LPS treated with probiotics and amoxicillin group. The results revealed that both treatments (probiotics and probiotics-amoxicillin) attenuated DSS/LPS-induced diverticulitis, by restoring the colonic antioxidant status, ameliorating inflammation (significantly reduced TNF-α, interleukins, interferon-γ, myeloperoxidase activity, and C-reactive protein), decreasing apoptosis (through downregulating caspase-3), and reduction of the colon aerobic bacterial count. These probiotic strains were effective in preventing the development of the experimentally induced acute diverticulitis through the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects and have affected gut microbiota, so they can be considered a potential option in treating acute diverticulitis disease.

Protective effects of amoxicillin and probiotics on colon disorders in an experimental model of acute diverticulitis disease.

Acute diverticulitis disease is associated with inflammation and infection in the colon diverticula and may lead to severe morbidity. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the protective effects of amoxicillin antibiotic, either alone or in combination with probiotics (Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis), in a rat model of acute diverticulitis disease. Acute diverticulitis was induced, in albino rats, by adding 3% weight/volume of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) to the rats' drinking water; daily for 7 days, in addition to injecting lipopolysaccharide (LPS) enema (4 mg/kg). The impact of treatments was assessed by measuring the physiological and immunological parameters and evaluating colon macroscopic and microscopic lesions. The results showed that both treatments (especially probiotics with amoxicillin) alleviated the adverse effects of DSS and LPS. This was obvious through the modulation of the rats' body weight and the colon weight-to-length ratio. Also, there was a significant (p < 0.001) decrease in the colon macroscopic lesion score. The pro-inflammatory cytokines [(TNF)-α, (IL)-1ß, (IFN)-γ, and (IL)-18]; in the colon tissue; were significantly (p < 0.001) decreased. Also, both treatments significantly ameliorated the elevation of myeloperoxidase activity and C-reactive protein levels, in addition to improving the histopathological alterations in the colon tissue. In conclusion, amoxicillin and probiotics-amoxicillin were effective in preventing the development of experimentally induced acute diverticulitis, through their anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. Furthermore, this study has explored the role of probiotics in preventing DSS/LPS-induced acute diverticulitis, so it can be applied as a promising treatment option for acute diverticulitis disease.

Evaluation of Some Cytokines and Gene Expressions in Pre-eclampsia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Preeclampsia(PE) is adisordercharacterized byhypertensionandproteinuria. There is accumulating evidence that this is a disease of the endothelium. Angiogenic factors may be responsible for the regulation of placental vascular development. Clinicians cannot predict pre-eclampsia prior to the onset symptoms. An ideal bio-marker for pre-eclampsia prediction is during the first trimester. This study investigated the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP) and the gene expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and p53 in PE trying to find out potential bio-markers for prediction and diagnosis of PE. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 100 female volunteers were involved in this study and their ages were ranged from 25-35 years. They were divided into three groups: Group (1) was 20 healthy non-pregnant women, group (2) was 20 pregnant women normal pregnancies and group (3) was 60 preeclamptic patients. The study participants were enrolled at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Mansoura University Hospital, Mansoura, Egypt. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee (Faculty of Science, Al Azhar University, Egypt) approved on the March 15, 2014) all women gave written informed consent. Serum levels of CRP, IL-10 and TNF-α were evaluated, in addition to the gene expression of VEGF, eNOS and p53. RESULTS: Significant elevations in the serum levels of blood pressure, TNF-α and CRP were observed in PE patients. Additionally, the gene expression of VEGF, eNOS and P53 were down-regulated in preeclampsia. CONCLUSION: Elevated serum levels of TNFα and CRP, in addition to the down-regulation of eNOS may be used as good predictors for preeclampsia. The TNF-α and VEGF gene were recommended used as markers for PE to be added to routine testes of pregnant women.

Mesenchymal stem cells therapeutic potential alleviate lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in rat model.

Inhalation of bacterial endotoxin induces an acute inflammation in the lower respiratory tract. The current study examined the therapeutic effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pulmonary congestion in rats as compared with dexamethasone (Dexa) and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3 ). LPS (20 µL of LPS of Escherichia coli in each nostril for two consecutive days) induced lung injury as marked by an elevation of number of inflammatory cells especially neutrophils, increased total protein levels, elevation of lipid peroxidation, and reduction of reduced glutathione in bronchoalveolar lavage along with the reduction of reduced glutathione. These deleterious effects were hampered after treatment with BM-MSCs (1 × 106 cells/rat) once before acute lung injury (ALI) induction with LPS to an even better extent than Dexa (2 mg/kg once, ip) and NaHCO3 (10-15 mL/day for two consecutive days). In summary, BM-MSCs have the ability to suppress the endotoxin-induced systemic inflammatory response and could prove to be a novel approach to therapy for ALI in rats.