Probiotic Therapeutic Efficacy Study Service in Animal Models

Animal Models

• Species Selection
  
  • Rodents: Mice, Rats – commonly used for general gastrointestinal, metabolic, and immune studies.
  • Other Small Animals: Hamsters, Guinea Pigs (as needed for specific indications).
  • Larger Animal Models: Pigs, Dogs (for specific applications like veterinary probiotics or human-relevant GI physiology, available upon request).
• Disease & Condition Models
  
  • Gastrointestinal Health
    
    • Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) models (e.g., DSS-induced colitis, TNBS-induced colitis)
    • Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) models (e.g., stress-induced, post-infectious)
    • Antibiotic-associated diarrhea models
    • Infectious disease models (e.g.,C. difficile, Salmonella, E. coli)
    • Constipation/Diarrhea models
    • Gut barrier dysfunction models
• Metabolic Health
  
  • Diet-induced obesity (DIO) models
  • Type 2 Diabetes models (e.g., db/db, ob/ob, STZ-induced)
  • Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)/NASH models
  • Hypercholesterolemia models
• Immune Health
  
  • Allergy models (e.g., OVA-induced allergy, food allergy)
  • Infection challenge models (viral, bacterial)
  • Immune suppression/enhancement models
• Brain-Gut Axis & Mental Health
  
  • Stress models (chronic unpredictable stress, social defeat)
  • Anxiety/Depression models
  • Cognitive function models
• Skin Health
  
  • Atopic dermatitis/Eczema models
  • Wound healing models
• Urogenital Health
  
  • Vaginitis/UTI models (specific animal models may be limited; consult for feasibility)
• Oral Health
  
  • Caries models (rodent)
  • Periodontal disease models

Probiotic Administration

Oral gavage, dietary supplementation, etc.

In Vivo & Ex Vivo Sample Collection & Analysis

• Clinical Observations: Body weight, food/water intake, disease activity index (DAI), behavioral scoring.
• Biological Sample Collection: Feces, cecal contents, intestinal tissue (various segments), blood, urine, liver, spleen, brain, skin, vaginal swabs.
• Microbiota Analysis
  
  • 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing: Comprehensive profiling of bacterial communities (composition, diversity, relative abundance).
  • Shotgun Metagenomics Sequencing: Higher resolution microbial profiling, functional gene prediction, strain-level analysis.
  • Quantitative PCR (qPCR): Targeted quantification of specific bacterial groups or individual strains.
• Metabolomics
  
  • Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs): Quantification of acetate, propionate, butyrate in feces, cecal contents, or blood.
  • Targeted Metabolite Profiling: Analysis of bile acids, amino acids, lipids, etc., related to host metabolism or microbial activity.
• Immunological Analysis
  
  • Cytokine & Chemokine Profiling: ELISA, or multiplex assays for inflammatory and anti-inflammatory markers (e.g., IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-10, TGF-β).
  • Flow Cytometry: Immunophenotyping of immune cells from blood, spleen, Peyer's patches, or mesenteric lymph nodes.
  • Histopathology & Immunohistochemistry: Microscopic examination of tissue morphology, inflammation, and specific protein expression (e.g., tight junction proteins, mucins).

Sample Information

• Probiotic Strain(s) Information: Species and strain designation, Storage conditions and stability data, Safety data (if available), Any specific genetic modifications or characteristics.
• Formulation Details: If it's a formulated product, details on excipients, encapsulation, etc. Recommended administration route and dosage.
• Previous In vitro Data: Any existing in vitro data supporting the proposed mechanism or efficacy.
• Specific Research Questions: Clear articulation of the primary and secondary research questions you aim to answer.

Deliverables

Turnaround Time

Turnaround times vary depending on the complexity of the study, animal model selected, and the number of endpoints. However, we strive for efficiency without compromising data quality. Typical total project duration ranges from 10 to 26 weeks from study initiation to final report delivery. Expedited services may be available upon request.