The Role of Probiotics in the Maintenance of the Gut Barrier

Abstract

Background and Aims Leaky gut barrier was identified as the pathogenesis of many Gastro Intestinal Tract diseases. Live probiotics were deemed helpful in reversing the leakiness by restoring the epithelial Tight Junction structures responsible of maintaining paracellular permeability. However, for some probiotics, there are safety concerns in taking live organism in conditions where the gut is inflamed. Here, killed Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and its cell free supernatant are being investigated to establish whether or not they can induce the same therapeutic effect as live organism in a Caco-2 model of gut barrier. Method Caco-2 cells were plated onto transwell membranes with a pore size of 0.4 μm. All three forms of LGG were added to cells and the Transepithelial Electrical Restistance- a marker of barrier function, was measured with time. The effects of an inflammatory cytokine, TNF-a were also tested by addition of the cytokine to cells treated with LGG. Result Overall, Caco-2 permeability was unchanged by LGG irrespective to the form used. Co- treatment of Caco-2 with LGG and TNF-α gave slightly lower resistance compared to their control. Conclusion These data suggest that LGG does not affect the permeability of Caco-2 cells.