Animals (Mar 2020)

The Prophylactic Use of Bovine Colostrum in a Murine Model of TNBS-Induced Colitis

  • Laura Menchetti,
  • Giulio Curone,
  • Iulia Elena Filipescu,
  • Olimpia Barbato,
  • Leonardo Leonardi,
  • Gabriella Guelfi,
  • Giovanna Traina,
  • Patrizia Casagrande-Proietti,
  • Federica Riva,
  • Anna Beatrice Casano,
  • Federica Piro,
  • Daniele Vigo,
  • Alda Quattrone,
  • Gabriele Brecchia

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10030492
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 3
p. 492

Abstract

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This study investigated the effects of a short-term administration of bovine colostrum (BC) in a TNBS model of induced colitis. Colitis was induced by TNBS treatment after seven days of BC (BC group, n = 12) or saline (control group, n = 12) administration in mice. Clinical signs, histopathological characteristics, expression levels of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and microbial composition were assessed. BC was well tolerated and did not induce any histological damage or clinical symptoms. After TNBS treatment, the BC group showed a reduction in body weight (BW) loss compared to Control (p < 0.05). Moreover, expression levels of TLR4 (p < 0.01), Interleukin-1β (IL-1β; p < 0.001), Interleukin-8 (IL-8; p < 0.001), and Interleukin-10 (IL-10; p < 0.001) were lower in mice administered with BC. Finally, Escherichia coli were higher (p < 0.05), while Enterococci (p < 0.001), Lactobacillus spp. (p < 0.001), and Bifidobacterium spp. (p < 0.05) were lower in Control than BC group. This study confirms that pre-treatment with BC modulates the expression of genes and the count of microbes involved in the etiopathogenesis of colitis.

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