<i>Bifidobacterium animalis</i> subsp. <i>lactis</i> XLTG11 improves antibiotic-related diarrhea by alleviating inflammation, enhancing intestinal barrier function and regulating intestinal flora

Abstract

Antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) is a common side effect during antibiotic treatment. In this study, we evaluated the regulatory effect of <i>Bifidobacterium animalis</i> subsp<i>. lactis</i> XLTG11 on mouse diarrhea caused by antibiotic-induced intestinal flora disturbance. Then, two strains of <i>Bifidobacterium animalis</i> subsp<i>. lactis</i> XLTG11 and <i>Bifidobacterium animalis</i> subsp<i>. lactis</i> BB-12 were administered to AAD mice. We found that the recovery effect of using <i>B. lactis</i> XLTG11 was better than that of <i>B. lactis</i> BB-12. <i>B. lactis</i> XLTG11 reduced the pathological characteristics of the intestinal tract, and significantly reduced the levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), D-lactic acid (D-LA) and diamine oxidase (DAO) to decrease intestinal permeability. In addition, these two strains significantly increased the expression of aquaporin and tight junction proteins, and inhibited toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/activation of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway, significantly increased the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines and decreased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, after treatment with <i>B. lactis</i> XLTG11, the contents of acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid and total short-chain fatty acids were significantly increased. Compared with the MC group, <i>B. lactis</i> XLTG11 increased the abundance and diversity of the intestinal flora and changed the composition of the intestinal flora. We found that <i>B. lactis</i> XLTG11 can promote the recovery of intestinal flora and mucosal barrier function, thereby effectively improving AAD-related symptoms, providing a scientific basis for future clinical applications.