OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on the intestinal flora in rats with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and explore its possible mechanism based on the gut-lung axis theory. METHODS: A total of 30 male SD rats of SPF grade were randomly divided into a normal control (NC) group, a model group and an EA group, 10 rats in each one. In the model group and the EA group, COPD model was established by intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide combined with cigarette fumigation. In the EA group, EA was applied at bilateral "Feishu" (BL13) and "Zusanli" (ST36), with disperse-dense waves, in frequency of 4 Hz/20 Hz, current of 1-3 mA, 20 min a time, once a day for 14 days continuously. Before and after modeling, as well as after intervention, body weight was observed; after intervention, the lung function indexes (forced expiratory volume in 0.1 second [FEV_0.1], FEV_0.1/forced vital capacity [FVC]%, forced expiratory volume in 0.3 second [FEV_0.3] and FEV_0.3/FVC%) were measured, serum levels of inflammatory factors (tumor necrosis factor-α[TNF-α], interleukin-6[IL-6], interleukin-1β[IL-1β] and interleukin-10[IL-10]) were detected by ELISA, histopathology of lung and colon tissues was observed by HE staining, the intestinal flora were analyzed by 16S rRNA, and the correlations between lung function and intestinal flora were analyzed. RESULTS: Compared with the NC group, in the COPD group, the body weight and lung function indexes were reduced (P<0.01); the lung and colon tissues were damaged, the mean linear intercept (MLI) of alveolus and inflammatory cell numbers of 100 μm² in lung tissue were increased (P<0.01); the serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β were increased (P<0.01, P<0.05), and the serum level of IL-10 was decreased (P<0.01); α-diversity indexes of intestinal flora were increased (P<0.01); the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Oscillospira, Bacteroides, Coprococcus was increased (P<0.01), the relative abundance of Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Tenericutes, TM7 and Lactobacillus, Allobaculum, Bifidobacterium, YRC22 was decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05); 31 different expressed metabolic pathways were identified between the two groups. Compared with the COPD group, in the EA group, the body weight and lung function indexes were increased (P<0.01); the damage of lung and colon tissues was improved, the MLI of alveolus was decreased (P<0.05); the serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β were decreased (P<0.05), and the serum level of IL-10 was increased (P<0.05); α-diversity indexes of intestinal flora were decreased (P<0.01); the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Oscillospira, Bacteroides, Coprococcus was decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05), the relative abundance of Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Tenericutes, TM7 and Lactobacillus, Allobaculum, Bifidobacterium, YRC22 was increased (P<0.01); 35 different expressed metabolic pathways were identified between the two groups. The lung function was positive related with Actinobacteria, Tenericutes, TM7 and YRC22, and was negative related with Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Oscillospira, Bacteroides, Coprococcus. CONCLUSION EA may ameliorate lung function and tissue injury of COPD by regulating intestinal flora dysbiosis and inflammatory response, suggesting an anti-inflammatory effect mediated via "gut-lung" axis.
Animals ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/genetics* ; Male ; Electroacupuncture ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Lung/metabolism* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Humans ; Interleukin-6/immunology* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/immunology* ; Intestines/microbiology* ; Interleukin-10/immunology*

BACKGROUNDInflammation is supposed to play a key role in the pathophysiological processes of intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IIRI), and Candida albicans in human gut commonly elevates inflammatory cytokines in intestinal mucosa. This study aimed to explore the effect of C. albicans on IIRI.

METHODSFifty female Wistar rats were divided into five groups according to the status of C. albicans infection and IIRI operation: group blank and sham; group blank and IIRI; group cefoperazone plus IIRI; group C. albicans plus cefoperazone and IIRI (CCI); and group C. albicans plus cefoperazone and sham. The levels of inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-μ, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, and diamine oxidase (DAO) measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to evaluate the inflammation reactivity as well as the integrity of small intestine. Histological scores were used to assess the mucosal damage, and the C. albicans blood translocation was detected to judge the permeability of intestinal mucosal barrier.

RESULTSThe levels of inflammatory factors TNF-μ, IL-6, and IL-1β in serum and intestine were higher in rats undergone both C. albicans infection and IIRI operation compared with rats in other groups. The levels of DAO (serum: 44.13 ± 4.30 pg/ml, intestine: 346.21 ± 37.03 pg/g) and Chiu scores (3.41 ± 1.09) which reflected intestinal mucosal disruption were highest in group CCI after the operation. The number of C. albicans translocated into blood was most in group CCI ([33.80 ± 6.60] ×102 colony forming unit (CFU)/ml).

CONCLUSIONIntestinal C. albicans infection worsened the IIRI-induced disruption of intestinal mucosal barrier and facilitated the subsequent C. albicans translocation and dissemination.

Amine Oxidase (Copper-Containing) ; metabolism ; Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; pharmacology ; Candida albicans ; drug effects ; pathogenicity ; Cefoperazone ; pharmacology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Interleukin-1beta ; metabolism ; Interleukin-6 ; metabolism ; Intestines ; drug effects ; immunology ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Reperfusion Injury ; immunology ; metabolism ; microbiology

The increasing incidence rate of allergic diseases has attracted global attention, and these diseases greatly threaten children′s health. The common pathogenesis of allergic diseases is the specific IgE- or cell-mediated immune response to common inhalant or food allergens. Epidemiological investigation, analysis of fecal flora, and clinical studies all suggest that the development and progression of allergic diseases are closely related to the early disturbance of intestinal flora. Probiotics can regulate intestinal immune response, increase the barrier function of epithelial cells, inhibit the adhesion and colonization of pathogenic bacteria, and thus restore or reconstruct normal intestinal flora. With the increasing understanding of allergic diseases, the effect of probiotics in the prevention and treatment of such diseases will be taken more and more seriously.
Child ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; drug therapy ; immunology ; microbiology ; prevention & control ; Intestines ; immunology ; microbiology ; Probiotics ; administration & dosage

The incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) including ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease are rapidly increasing in Western countries and in developed Asian countries. Although biologic agents targeting the immune system have been effective in patients with IBD, cessation of treatment leads to relapse in the majority of patients, suggesting that intrinsic immune dysregulation is an effect, not a cause, of IBD. Dramatic changes in the environment, resulting in the dysregulated composition of intestinal microbiota or dysbiosis, may be associated with the fundamental causes of IBD. Japan now has upgraded water supply and sewerage systems, as well as dietary habits and antibiotic overuse that are similar to such features found in developed Western countries. The purpose of this review article was to describe the association of diet, particularly Japanese food and microbiota, with IBD.
Animals ; *Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Diet/*ethnology ; Evidence-Based Medicine ; Food Habits/ethnology ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/diagnosis/diet therapy/*ethnology/immunology/*microbiology ; Intestines/immunology/*microbiology ; Japan/epidemiology ; *Microbiota ; Prevalence ; Probiotics/therapeutic use ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors

Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; administration & dosage ; Escherichia coli ; Female ; Galactosylceramides ; immunology ; Gastric Mucosa ; pathology ; Gastritis, Atrophic ; pathology ; Helicobacter Infections ; complications ; drug therapy ; Helicobacter pylori ; pathogenicity ; Humans ; Inflammation ; pathology ; Intestines ; microbiology ; Levofloxacin ; Lymphocyte Activation ; Male ; Natural Killer T-Cells ; microbiology ; Ofloxacin ; administration & dosage ; Sphingomonas ; Stomach ; pathology

Verocytotoxic Escherichia (E.) coli strains are responsible for swine oedema disease, which is an enterotoxaemia that causes economic losses in the pig industry. The production of a vaccine for oral administration in transgenic seeds could be an efficient system to stimulate local immunity. This study was conducted to transform tobacco plants for the seed-specific expression of antigenic proteins from a porcine verocytotoxic E. coli strain. Parameters related to an immunological response and possible adverse effects on the oral administration of obtained tobacco seeds were evaluated in a mouse model. Tobacco was transformed via Agrobacteium tumefaciens with chimeric constructs containing structural parts of the major subunit FedA of the F18 adhesive fimbriae and VT2e B-subunit genes under control of a seed specific GLOB promoter. We showed that the foreign Vt2e-B and F18 genes were stably accumulated in storage tissue by the immunostaining method. In addition, Balb-C mice receiving transgenic tobacco seeds via the oral route showed a significant increase in IgA-positive plasma cell presence in tunica propria when compared to the control group with no observed adverse effects. Our findings encourage future studies focusing on swine for evaluation of the protective effects of transformed tobacco seeds against E. coli infection.
Administration, Oral ; Agrobacterium tumefaciens ; Animals ; Antigens, Bacterial/genetics/metabolism ; Bacterial Vaccines/administration & dosage/adverse effects/*pharmacology ; Edema Disease of Swine/*immunology/microbiology ; Escherichia coli Infections/immunology/microbiology/*veterinary ; Escherichia coli Proteins/*genetics/metabolism ; Female ; Fimbriae Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; Genetic Engineering ; Intestines/immunology/microbiology/pathology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Models, Animal ; Plants, Genetically Modified/*genetics/metabolism ; Seeds/genetics/metabolism ; Shiga Toxin 2/genetics/metabolism ; Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli/genetics/immunology/*pathogenicity ; Swine ; Tobacco/*genetics/metabolism ; Virulence Factors/genetics/metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of perioperative application of intestinal probiotics to substitute oral intestinal antimicrobial agents on intestinal flora and immune function in surgical patients with colorectal cancer.

METHODSSixty patients with colorectal cancer undergoing elective laparoscopic radical surgery were randomized to receive preoperative bowel preparation using oral intestinal antimicrobial agents (n=20) or using oral intestinal probiotics (Jinshuangqi Tablets, 2.0 g, 3 times daily) since the fifth day before the operation and at 24 h after the operation for 7 consecutive days. Upon admission and 7 days after the operation, fecal samples and fasting peripheral venous blood were collected from the patients to examine the intestinal flora and serum levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2), IgA, IgG, and IgM, NK cell activity, T lymphocytes subsets CD3(+), CD4(+), CD8(+) and CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio.

RESULTSAt 7 days after the operation, the patients receiving probiotics showed significantly increased counts of intestinal Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Enterococcus (P<0.05) and significantly lowered counts of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus (P<0.05). The serum levels of IL-2, IgA, IgG and IgM as well as CD4(+) cell percentage all increased significantly in probiotics group compared with those in patients with conventional intestinal preparation (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSPerioperative application of intestinal probiotics to replace preoperative oral intestinal antimicrobial agents can effectively correct intestinal flora imbalance and improve the immune function of surgical patients with colorectal cancer.

Aged ; Bifidobacterium ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; immunology ; microbiology ; Female ; Humans ; Intestines ; microbiology ; Intraoperative Period ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Premedication ; Probiotics ; therapeutic use ; Prospective Studies ; Single-Blind Method

Intestinal mucosal layers are colonized by a complex microbiota that provides beneficial effects under normal physiological conditions, but is capable of contributing to chronic inflammatory disease such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in susceptible individuals. Studies have shown that the enteric microbiota may drive the development of the gut immune system and can induce immune homeostasis as well as contribute to the development of IBD although the precise etiology is still unknown. Therefore, intestinal microbes seem to play a key role in the disease pathogenesis. Especially, dysbiosis, which is a shift in the composition of enteric microbiota to a nonphysiologic composition, is associated with one or more defects in mucosal immune functions, including microbe recognition, barrier function, intercellular communication, and anti-microbial effector mechanisms. This review focuses on the impact of enteric microbiota on the development and perpetuation of IBD. In addition, interactions with enteric bacteria and mucosal cells, including intestinal epithelial cells, dendritic cells, and T cells, to induce immune responses at mucosal surfaces have been discussed in the point of IBD pathogenesis. Further extension of the knowledge of enteric microbiota may lead to insights on the pathogenesis and new therapeutic strategies for IBD.
Bacterial Physiological Phenomena ; Host-Pathogen Interactions ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/*microbiology/pathology ; Intestinal Mucosa/immunology/microbiology ; Intestines/microbiology/pathology ; T-Lymphocytes/immunology/metabolism

It is proposed that gut-liver-lung axis plays an important role in the pathophysiologic development of the critical illness, and it induces excessive inflammatory response in vivo and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. The mechanisms of therapeutic effects of rhubarb on critical patients are studied based on the theory of Chinese traditional medicine. Researches demonstrate that rhubarb can be used to protect gut barrier, maintain intestinal micro-ecological environment and prevent bacterial translocation. It also can be used to inhibit the release of inflammatory mediators by liver inflammatory-effector cells, reduce inflammatory reaction in the liver and protect hepatic cell functions. Furthermore, rhubarb can be used to reduce pulmonary vascular permeability and extenuate pulmonary edema, inhibit the release of neutrophil myeloperoxidase, and lower the level of inflammatory response and decrease inflammatory mediators in circulation. The above results indicate that rhubarb may interrupt or partly interrupt the gut-liver-lung axis after trauma and reduce the intensity of systemic inflammatory response syndrome. Therefore, rhubarb may obviously lower the incidence of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and be used to prevent and treat systemic inflammatory response syndrome and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome after trauma.
Capillary Permeability ; drug effects ; Humans ; Intestines ; microbiology ; Liver ; immunology ; Multiple Organ Failure ; drug therapy ; Phytotherapy ; Rheum ; Sepsis ; drug therapy ; Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome ; drug therapy

Humans ; Intestines ; immunology ; microbiology ; Liver Diseases ; immunology ; microbiology