Protective Effect Of Lactobacillus Reuteri Against Oxidative Stress In Neonatal Mice With Neonatal Necrotizing Enterocolitis

Objective: To investigate the protective effect of L.reuteri DSM17938 strain against oxidative stress in a neonatal mouse model of necrotizing enterocolitis(NEC)and explore its possible mechanism.Methods: Ninety-six 10-day-old C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into three groups: control group,NEC group,NEC+L.reuteri group.The pathological changes of the ileocecal intestinal tissues were evaluated with HE staining and double-blind pathological scoring.The mRNA and protein expressions of tumor necrosis factor-?(TNF-?)and interleukin-1?(IL-1?)in gut tissues were detected using quantitative real-time PCR and ELISA,respectively.Colorimetric assays were conducted to determine the activity and inhibition of superoxide dismutase(SOD)rate,malondialdehyde(MDA),glutathione(GSH),oxidized glutathione(GSSG),and GSSG/GSH ratio.Results: Compared with those in the control group,the neonatal mice in NEC group showed significant weight loss(P<0.05),obvious intestinalinjury,increased pathological scores(P<0.05),increased expressions of TNF-? and IL-1? in mRNA and proteins(P<0.05),decreased SOD activity and inhibition rate,decreased GSH,and significantly increased MDA,GSSG and GSSG/GSH ratios(P<0.05).Treatment with L.reuteri obviously decreased the pathological scores,expressions of TNF-? and IL-1?(P<0.05),MDA,GSSG,and GSSG/GSH ratio(P<0.05),while significantly increased SOD activity,its inhibition rate,and GSH level in the mice with NEC,but the survival rate was not significantly different between NEC and L.reuteri-treated groups(P>0.05).Conclusion: L.reuteri DSM17938 can offer protection against NEC in mice by reducing oxidative stress and increasing antioxidant capacity of the intestinal tissues to suppress intestinal inflammations.