A comparison of cell mediators and serum cytokines transcript expression between male and female mice infected withMycobacterium aviumsubspeciesparatuberculosisand/or consuming probiotics

Abstract

The gut immune system is complex, and dysregulation leads to a number of disorders including inflammatory bowel syndrome and (in livestock) Johne's disease. Previous work has demonstrated that males and females respond differently to treatment with pathologic and probiotic microorganisms, suggesting that a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to treat GIT inflammation may be inadequate. While we had observed significant differences between males and females in terms of cytokine production, it remains unclear how these changes occur. To better understand the mechanisms, transcript expression of genes important to gut immunoregulation were monitored from male and female BALB/c mice consuming the probiotic Lactobacillus animalis (1 × 10(6) CFU g(-1) ) and infected with the gut pathogen, Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (1 × 10(7) CFU). Expression of transcripts analyzed included those important to the immune system, intestinal cell differentiation, and/or regulation. Males generally displayed increased expression of Th 2 and B-cell mediators, and females showed repressed cytokine expression after MAP infection (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1 among others). Additionally, regulation of pro-inflammatory mediators in female mice consuming probiotics suggests females responded positively to L. animalis when compared to males. Therefore, we speculate that studying mechanistic changes associated with sex and immunoregulation in gastrointestinal tissues could further elucidate host response to microorganisms.

Sex-Specific Effects of Synbiotic Exposure in Mice on Addictive-Like Behavioral Alterations Induced by Chronic Alcohol Intake Are Associated With Changes in Specific Gut Bacterial Taxa and Brain Tryptophan Metabolism

“…Interestingly, synbiotic treatment induced sex-dependent effects in terms of bacterial abundance mostly following chronic intermittent alcohol intake, and not during basal conditions. Previous preclinical and human studies have documented sex differences both in the baseline profile of gut microbiota, and in the effects of diet and/or probiotic administration in terms of the composition of bacteria and its metabolic products, providing evidence for genotype by diet interactions (65,66). Our data provide evidence for a triple genotype-alcohol-synbiotic interaction on gut microbiota profile.…”

Oral administration of fermented milk supplemented with synbiotics can influence the physiological condition of Wistar rats in a dose-sensitive and sex-specific manner

“…Additionally, females responded positively to use lactobacilli when compared to males. The differences observed suggest that male and female gut tissues and microbiota respond to newly introduced microorganisms differently and that gut-associated microorganisms with host immune system responses and metabolic activity are supported by biology distinct to the host sex [ 42 ]. However, further study should be conducted to obtain additional information about the underlying mechanism behind the sex-dependent response of the host animal to treatment with probiotics.…”

Approaches to studying and manipulating the enteric microbiome to improve autism symptoms

“…The theorized mechanisms by which B. fragilis produces a treatment effect, at least in a mouse model, is through ameliorating enteric microbiome imbalances ( 47 ) including upstream and downstream byproducts which modulate behavior. Other studies not related to ASD have demonstrated that some probiotic strains can influence the immune system ( 48 , 49 ), at least for a certain period of time, and metabolic abnormalities such as redox imbalances ( 50 ).…”