iScience (Oct 2020)

Lemon Exosome-like Nanoparticles-Manipulated Probiotics Protect Mice from C. diff Infection

  • Chao Lei,
  • Jingyao Mu,
  • Yun Teng,
  • Liqing He,
  • Fangyi Xu,
  • Xiangcheng Zhang,
  • Kumaran Sundaram,
  • Anil Kumar,
  • Mukesh K. Sriwastva,
  • Matthew B. Lawrenz,
  • Lifeng Zhang,
  • Jun Yan,
  • Wenke Feng,
  • Craig J. McClain,
  • Xiang Zhang,
  • Huang-Ge Zhang

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 23, no. 10
p. 101571

Abstract

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Summary: Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) is the leading cause of antibiotic-associated colitis. Here, we report that lemon exosome-like nanoparticles (LELNs) manipulated probiotics to inhibit C. diff infection (CDI). LELN-manipulated Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and Streptococcus thermophilus ST-21 (STH) (LELN-LS) decrease CDI mortality via an LELN-mediated increase in bile resistance and gut survivability. LELN-LS treatment increases the AhR ligands indole-3-lactic acid (I3LA) and indole-3-carboxaldehyde (I3Ald), leading to induction of IL-22, and increases lactic acid leading to a decrease of C. diff fecal shedding by inhibiting C. diff growth and indole biosynthesis. A synergistic effect between STH and LGG was identified. The STH metabolites inhibit gluconeogenesis of LGG and allow fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) to accumulate in LGG; accumulated FBP then activates lactate dehydrogenase of LGG (LGG-LDH) and enhances production of lactic acid and the AhR ligand. Our findings provide a new strategy for CDI prevention and treatment with a new type of prebiotics.

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