Antibiotics (Jan 2022)

Effect of Doxycycline in Decreasing the Severity of <i>Clostridioides difficile</i> Infection in Mice

  • Bo-Yang Tsai,
  • Yi-Hsin Lai,
  • Chun-Wei Chiu,
  • Chih-Yu Hsu,
  • Yi-Hsuan Chen,
  • Yueh-Lin Chen,
  • Pei-Jane Tsai,
  • Yuan-Pin Hung,
  • Wen-Chien Ko

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics11010116
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 1
p. 116

Abstract

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Background: Doxycycline possesses antibacterial activity against Clostridioides difficile and anti-inflammatory effects. Materials and Methods: The influence of doxycycline on the development of CDI was studied in an established animal model of CDI using C57BL/6 mice. Results: Mice intraperitoneally administered doxycycline had higher cecum weight (1.3 ± 0.1 vs. 0.5 ± 0.1 g; p p C. difficile. Oral doxycycline, metronidazole, or vancomycin therapy resulted in less body weight reduction in mice with CDI than in untreated mice (1.1 ± 0.1 g, 1.3 ± 0.2 g, 1.2 ± 0.1 g, vs. 2.9 ± 0.3 g; p p = 0.02), and higher levels of zonula occludens-1 (1.2 ± 0.1 vs. 0.8 ± 0.1, p = 0.02) in colonic tissues than in untreated mice. Conclusions: Concurrent intraperitoneal administration of doxycycline and oral C. difficile challenge does not aggravate the disease severity of CDI, and oral doxycycline may be a potential therapeutic option for CDI.

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