Evaluation of Gut Colonization and Persistence to Different Gut Environmental Stress in Murine Models

The discovery of host-microbe interaction provides an opportunity to solve diseases by adjusting the structure and function of the gut microbiota. As a one-stop service leader for the discovery and development of live biotherapeutic products (LBP), Creative Biolabs has developed a variety of evaluation and detection tools for microbial-host interactions, enabling researchers to design the best strategies to deal with diseases, such as the assessment of gut colonization and persistence to different gut environmental stress in murine models.

Importance of Gut Colonization and Persistence Assessment

Gut microbiota regulation, aimed at reversing the established microbial malnutrition, is a new strategy for the prevention and treatment of many diseases. Current treatment methods include the use of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics to restore the balance between various beneficial bacteria. Although these strategies have shown encouraging results in correcting microbiota composition, regulating the innate immune system, enhancing intestinal barrier function, preventing pathogen colonization, and producing selective cytotoxicity to tumor cells, it should be noted that these strategies are accompanied by potential risks and controversial clinical complications. Therefore, the colonization and persistence of new probiotic strains with therapeutic characteristics need to be evaluated and screened strictly.

Mechanism of Gut Colonization and Persistence Against Pathogens

Various studies have reported that the ingestion of specific probiotic strains can reduce the colonization of pathogens, including Clostridium difficile and Staphylococcus aureus, thus supporting the use of probiotics to prevent intestinal infections. Probiotics or other symbiotic microbiota can resist the colonization of pathogens by competing for nutrients and adhesion surfaces on epithelial cells or mucus, or by aggregating with pathogens. Based on direct interaction, probiotics can produce metabolites such as lactic acid and acetic acid, or bacteriocin, which inhibit the growth of pathogens by reducing the pH value of lumen and exerting direct antibacterial activity.

Fig.1 Putative mechanisms of actions of probiotics and their associated risks. (Fong, 2020)

Evaluation Services of Gut Colonization and Persistence in Creative Biolabs

The use of probiotics to restore microbial disorders and maintain the balance of gut microbiota by occupying host tissues and preventing pathogen colonization has become an attractive means for the treatment of many diseases. The ability to survive under the harsh conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, including gastric juice containing bile salts, is one of the important features that enable probiotics to instantaneously colonize the host. Based on different gut environments, we must evaluate the colonization and persistence ability of probiotics for different body fluid environments (such as gastric juices, bile salts, pancreatic juices) to help researchers choose the best probiotic strains.

At present, Creative Biolabs provides murine models that simulate the human body environment to evaluate the colonization and persistence to different gut environmental stress of probiotics. In the selection and design of animal models, we will fully consider the characteristics of different probiotics, project objectives, and the variability of the model system to ensure that the evaluation plan is accurate and reliable.

Creative Biolabs provides comprehensive high-quality and multiple host-microbe interaction tests to help your product move forward. If you are interested in our service, please feel free to contact us.

Reference

1. Fong, W., et al. Gut microbiota modulation: a novel strategy for prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer. Oncogene. 2020: 1-19.

For Research Use Only. Not intended for use in food manufacturing or medical procedures (diagnostics or therapeutics). Do Not Use in Humans.