Effects of Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis on Gut Barrier Function, Proinflammatory Response, ROS Production and Pathogen Inhibition Properties in IPEC-J2- Escherichia coli/ Salmonella Typhimurium Co-Culture

Nikolett Palkovicsné Pézsa; Dóra Kovács; Bence Rácz; Orsolya Farkas

doi:10.3390/microorganisms10050936

Effects of Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis on Gut Barrier Function, Proinflammatory Response, ROS Production and Pathogen Inhibition Properties in IPEC-J2- Escherichia coli/ Salmonella Typhimurium Co-Culture

Microorganisms. 2022 Apr 29;10(5):936. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms10050936.

Authors

Nikolett Palkovicsné Pézsa¹, Dóra Kovács¹, Bence Rácz², Orsolya Farkas¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, 1078 Budapest, Hungary.
² Department of Anatomy and Histology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, 1078 Budapest, Hungary.

Abstract

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance raises serious concerns worldwide. Probiotics offer a promising alternative to enhance growth promotion in farm animals; however, their mode of action still needs to be elucidated. The IPEC-J2 cell line (porcine intestinal epithelial cells) is an appropriate tool to study the effect of probiotics on intestinal epithelial cells. In our experiments, IPEC-J2 cells were challenged by two gastrointestinal (GI) infection causing agents, Escherichia coli (E. coli) or Salmonella enterica ser. Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium). We focused on determining the effect of pre-, co-, and post-treatment with two probiotic candidates, Bacillus licheniformis or Bacillus subtilis, on the barrier function, proinflammatory cytokine (IL-6 and IL-8) response, and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production of IPEC-J2 cells, in addition to the adhesion inhibition effect. Bacillus licheniformis (B. licheniformis) and Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) proved to be anti-inflammatory and had an antioxidant effect under certain treatment combinations, and further effectively inhibited the adhesion of pathogenic bacteria. Interestingly, they had little effect on paracellular permeability. Based on our results, Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis are both promising candidates to contribute to the beneficial effects of probiotic multispecies mixtures.

Keywords: Bacillus licheniformis; Bacillus subtilis; Escherichia coli; IPEC-J2; ROS; Salmonella Typhimurium; adhesion; antibiotic alternative; barrier function; proinflammatory cytokines.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by project no. TKP2020-NKA-01 and has been implemented with the support provided by the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund of Hungary, financed under the Tématerületi Kiválósági Program 2020 (2020-4.1.1-TKP2020) funding scheme. Further funding was received from the European Union and co-financed by the European Social Fund (grant agreement no. EFOP-3.6.3-VEKOP-16-2017-00005, project title: “Strengthening the scientific replacement by supporting the academic workshops and programs of students, developing a mentoring process”).