Effects of probiotic CPN60 of calf fecal-origin on metabolic status, immune function, and gene expression of Wistar rats with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis.

To evaluate the effect of a calf fecal-origin probiotic on the metabolic and immune functions under experimental colitis conditions, 48 weaned Wistar rats were randomly divided into four equal groups in a 42-day study. Rats were fed a basal diet either alone (CON) or supplemented with the calf-origin strain CPN60 (PRO) under healthy conditions or the same dietary treatments, respectively, with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis conditions, CONc and PROc. The serum levels of glucose, urea, and uric acid were reduced ( < 0.001) in the PRO compared to other groups. Serum triglyceride and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) were reduced ( < 0.05) in all groups compared to CON. Reduced glutathione level and glutathione-S-transferase activity in blood were increased ( < 0.001) with colitis (CONc and PROc), while catalase activity was increased ( < 0.05) in PRO. The intestinal absorptive area was greater ( < 0.05) with the probiotic (PRO) supplementation. The probiotic supplementation induced an augmented delayed-type hypersensitivity response to phytohemagglutinin-P besides showing greater ( < 0.05) in vitro lymphocyte proliferation and antibody response against chicken egg white lysozyme. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were lower and those of anti-inflammatory cytokines were higher in both the probiotic-supplemented groups. The healthy rats of the CON and PRO groups showed a reduced MUC1 expression concomitant to increased MUC2 immunostaining in the intestinal tissues, with an opposite trend in the colitis (CONc and PROc) rats. Likewise, the mRNA expression of SOD genes was also positively impacted by probiotic supplementation. In conclusion, the calf fecal-origin strain CPN60 improved the immune status and gut health in rats with colitis through altered gene expression in the gut tissues and improved attributes in the gut tissue anatomy.