Chronic inflammation is a risk factor for colorectal cancer, and inflammatory cytokines secreted from inflammatory cells and active oxygen facilitate tumorigenesis. Intestinal bacteria are thought to regulate tumorigenesis. The longer the breastfeeding period, the lower is the risk of inflammatory bowel disease. Here, we investigated preventive effects of the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus M9 (Probio-M9) on colitis-associated tumorigenesis. An inflammatory colorectal tumor model was established using a 6-week-old male C57BL/6NCrSlc mouse, which was intraperitoneally administered with azoxymethane (AOM: 12 mg/kg body weight). On weeks 2 and 4, 2% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) was administered to mice for 7 days through drinking water. On weeks 8 and 10, Probio-M9 (2 × 109/day) was orally administered for 7 days. Animals were sacrificed at 20 weeks after AOM administration and immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting was performed. The α-diversity of microflora (Shannon index), principal coordinate analysis, and distribution of intestinal bacterium genera and metabolic pathways were compared. The AOM/DSS group showed weight loss, diarrhea, intestinal shortening, increased number of colon tumors, proliferating tumorigenesis, increased inflammation score, fibrosis, increased CD68+, or CD163+ macrophage cells in the subserosal layer of non-tumor areas. Inflammation and tumorigenesis ameliorated after Probio-M9 treatment. Fecal microbial functions were altered by AOM/DSS treatment. Probio-M9 significantly upregulated the fecal microbial diversity and reversed fecal microbial functions. Thus, Probio-M9 could suppress tumor formation in the large intestine by regulating the intestinal environment and ameliorating inflammation, suggesting its therapeutic potential for treatment of inflammation and colitis-associated tumorigenesis.
Keywords: Lactobacillus rhamnosus M9; colitis-associated tumorigenesis; inflammatory bowel disease; probiotic.