Wang Jui-Ling, Yeh Chin-Hsing, Huang Shih-Hung, Wu Lawrence Shih-Hsin, Chen Miles Chih-Ming
Animal Testing Division, National Applied Research Laboratories, National Laboratory Animal Center, Tainan 744, Taiwan.
Fecula Biotech Co., Ltd., Tainan 744, Taiwan.
Biomedicines. 2024 Aug 20;12(8):1912. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines12081912.
Probiotics and prebiotics have gained attention for their potential health benefits. However, their efficacy hinges on probiotic survival through the harsh gastrointestinal environment. Microencapsulation techniques provide a solution, with resistant starch (RS)-based techniques showing promise in maintaining probiotic viability. Specifically, RS-encapsulated probiotics significantly improved probiotic survival in gastric acid, bile salts, and simulated intestinal conditions. This study investigated the effects of a resistant-starch-encapsulated probiotic cocktail (RS-Pro) in the context of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy, which frequently induces microbiota dysbiosis and intestinal mucositis. Female BALB/c mice were divided into three groups: a 5-FU group, a 5-FU+Pro group receiving free probiotics, and a 5-FU+RS-Pro group receiving RS-encapsulated probiotics. After 28 days of treatment, analyses were conducted on fecal microbiota, intestinal histology, peripheral blood cell counts, and body and organ weights. It was revealed by 16S rRNA MiSeq sequencing that 5-FU treatment disrupted gut microbiota composition, reduced microbial diversity, and caused dysbiosis. RS-Pro treatment restored microbial diversity and increased the population of beneficial bacteria, such as which play roles in carbohydrate and polyphenol metabolism. Furthermore, 5-FU administration induced moderate intestinal mucositis, characterized by reduced cellularity and shortened villi. However, RS-Pro treatment attenuated 5-FU-induced intestinal damage, preserving villus length. Mild leukopenia observed in the 5-FU-treated mice was partially alleviated in 5-FU+Pro and 5-FU+RS-Pro groups. These findings suggest that RS-Pro may serve as an adjunct to chemotherapy, potentially reducing adverse effects and improving therapeutic outcomes in future clinical applications.
益生菌和益生元因其潜在的健康益处而受到关注。然而，它们的功效取决于益生菌在恶劣的胃肠道环境中的存活能力。微囊化技术提供了一种解决方案，基于抗性淀粉（RS）的技术在维持益生菌活力方面显示出前景。具体而言，RS包封的益生菌在胃酸、胆汁盐和模拟肠道条件下显著提高了益生菌的存活率。本研究调查了抗性淀粉包封的益生菌鸡尾酒（RS-Pro）在5-氟尿嘧啶（5-FU）化疗背景下的作用，5-FU化疗经常会导致微生物群失调和肠道粘膜炎。将雌性BALB/c小鼠分为三组：5-FU组、接受游离益生菌的5-FU+Pro组和接受RS包封益生菌的5-FU+RS-Pro组。治疗28天后，对粪便微生物群、肠道组织学、外周血细胞计数以及身体和器官重量进行分析。通过16S rRNA MiSeq测序发现，5-FU治疗破坏了肠道微生物群组成，降低了微生物多样性，并导致了失调。RS-Pro治疗恢复了微生物多样性，并增加了有益细菌的数量，例如在碳水化合物和多酚代谢中发挥作用的细菌。此外，5-FU给药诱导了中度肠道粘膜炎，其特征是细胞数量减少和绒毛缩短。然而，RS-Pro治疗减轻了5-FU诱导的肠道损伤，保留了绒毛长度。在5-FU+Pro和5-FU+RS-Pro组中，5-FU治疗小鼠中观察到的轻度白细胞减少症得到了部分缓解。这些发现表明，RS-Pro可能作为化疗的辅助手段，在未来的临床应用中潜在地减少不良反应并改善治疗效果。
