(P06-011-20) Effects of Heat-Treated Probiotics and Short-Chain Fatty Acids on Jejunal Integrity and Fecal Microbiome in Rats with Massive Bowel Resection

Objectives: Massive bowel resection and total parenteral nutrition (TPN) are the major factors to affect intestinal integrity and microbiome in patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS). Studies showed that dead probiotics, which have no ability to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) to nourish enterocytes, may have similar benefits as live probiotics in promoting intestinal health. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of live and heat-treated probiotics with or without SCFAs on jejunal integrity and fecal microbiome in TPN-supported SBS rats.

Methods: Male SD rats were performed with intestinal resection, from 10 cm distal to the ligament of the Treitz to 5 cm distal to the colon, for SBS induction and with intubation of the right jugular vein for TPN infusion. TPN was administered right after the surgeries (day 0); and oral distilled water, live or heat-treated Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum, or the combination of heat-treated probiotics and intravenous SCFAs (acetate, propionate and butyrate) were administered from day 1 to day 6 to the SBS rats. Healthy, orally fed rats with no surgery were included as controls.

Results: The results showed that SBS rats had malnutrition, anemia, and jejunal damage. In the jejunum of the SBS rats, the increased glucagon-like peptide-2 was further increased by the live probiotics; the increased 19 kDa caspase 3 was decreased by heat-treated bacteria; and the decreased claudin 4 and toll-like receptor-4 were increased by the combination treatment of heat-treated probiotics and SCFAs. The results of 16S metagenomic next-generation sequencing revealed that the SBS-decreased alpha-diversity and Firmicutes and the SBS-increased ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes were reversed by heat-treated bacteria; and the SBS-increased Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were decreased by the live probiotics. The SBS-induced change in beta diversity was not altered by any treatment.

Conclusions: In conclusion, the combination treatment of heat-treated probiotics and SCFAs may improve jejunal integrity and the live and heat-treated probiotics may alter, at least partially, the bacterial diversity and distribution of the feces in SBS patients with TPN.

Funding Sources: MOST 105-2320-B-030-003-MY3