Original Article
Copyright ©2012 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Aug 14, 2012; 18(30): 3977-3991
Published online Aug 14, 2012. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v18.i30.3977
Effects of Lactobacillus plantarum on gut barrier function in experimental obstructive jaundice
Yu-Kun Zhou, Huan-Long Qin, Ming Zhang, Tong-Yi Shen, Hong-Qi Chen, Yan-Lei Ma, Zhao-Xin Chu, Peng Zhang, Zhi-Hua Liu
Yu-Kun Zhou, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, No. 455 Hospital of People's Liberation Army, Shanghai 200052, China
Huan-Long Qin, Ming Zhang, Tong-Yi Shen, Hong-Qi Chen, Yan-Lei Ma, Zhao-Xin Chu, Peng Zhang, Zhi-Hua Liu, Department of Surgery, The Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200233, China
Author contributions: Zhou YK and Qin HL designed and performed the study, collected data, did sample analyses, wrote the manuscript and acquired the funding; Zhang M did the gel electrophoresis and Western blotting; Shen TY participated in the study design; Ma YL, Chen HQ and Chu ZX did the immunohistochemical and fluorescence staining; Zhang P and Liu ZH did document retrieval and data analysis; and all authors have read and approved the final version to be published.
Supported by The National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30471687; and Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, No. 2008CB517403
Correspondence to: Huan-Long Qin, MD, Department of Surgery, The Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, 600 Yishan Road, Shanghai 200233, China. huanlongqin@hotmail.com
Telephone: +86-21-64361349 Fax: +86-21-64368920
Received: July 27, 2011
Revised: November 23, 2011
Accepted: June 8, 2012
Published online: August 14, 2012
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the mechanisms of Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) action on gut barrier in preoperative and postoperative experimental obstructive jaundice in rats.

METHODS: Forty rats were randomly divided into groups of sham-operation, bile duct ligation (BDL), BDL + L. plantarum, BDL + internal biliary drainage (IBD), and BDL + IBD + L. plantarum. Ten days after L. plantarum administration, blood and ileal samples were collected from the rats for morphological examination, and intestinal barrier function, liver function, intestinal oxidative stress and protein kinase C (PKC) activity measurement. The distribution and expression of the PKC and tight junction (TJ) proteins, such as occludin, zonula occludens-1, claudin-1, claudin-4, junction adhesion molecule-A and F-actin, were examined by confocal laser scanning microscopy, immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay.

RESULTS: L. plantarum administration substantially restored gut barrier, decreased enterocyte apoptosis, improved intestinal oxidative stress, promoted the activity and expression of protein kinase (BDL vs BDL + L. plantarum, 0.295 ± 0.007 vs 0.349 ± 0.003, P < 0.05; BDL + IBD vs BDL + IBD + L. plantarum, 0.407 ± 0.046 vs 0.465 ± 0.135, P < 0.05), and particularly enhanced the expression and phosphorylation of TJ proteins in the experimental obstructive jaundice (BDL vs BDL + L. plantarum, 0.266 ± 0.118 vs 0.326 ± 0.009, P < 0.05). The protective effect of L. plantarum was more prominent after internal biliary drainage ( BDL + IBD vs BDL + IBD + L. plantarum, 0.415 ± 0.105 vs 0.494 ± 0.145, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: L. plantarum can decrease intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis, reduce oxidative stress, and prevent TJ disruption in biliary obstruction by activating the PKC pathway.

Keywords: Lactobacillus plantarum, Protein kinase C, Intestinal mucosal barrier, Phosphorylation, Obstructive jaundice