Ileal Mucosal and Fecal Pancreatitis Associated Protein Levels Reflect Severity of Salmonella Inflection in Rats

Background Microbial infections induce ileal pancreatitis-associated protein/regenerating gene III (PAP/RegIII) mRNA expression. Despite increasing interest, little is known about the PAP/RegIII protein. Therefore, ileal mucosal PAP/RegIII protein expression, localization, and fecal excretion were studied in rats upon Salmonella infection. Results Salmonella infection increased ileal mucosal PAP/RegIII protein levels in enterocytes located at the crypt-villus junction. Increased colonization and translocation of Salmonella was associated with higher ileal mucosal PAP/RegIII levels and secretion of this protein in feces. Conclusions PAP/RegIII protein is increased in enterocytes of the ileal mucosa during Salmonella infection and is associated with infection severity. PAP/RegIII is excreted in feces and might be used as a new and non-invasive infection marke

Intestinally secreted C-type lectin Reg3b attenuates salmonellosis but not listeriosis in mice

The Reg3 protein family, including the human member designated pancreatitis-associated protein (PAP), consists of secreted proteins that contain a C-type lectin domain involved in carbohydrate binding. They are expressed by intestinal epithelial cells. Colonization of germ-free mice and intestinal infection with pathogens increase the expression of Reg3g and Reg3b in the murine ileum. Reg3g is directly bactericidal for Gram-positive bacteria, but the exact role of Reg3b in bacterial infections is unknown. To investigate the possible protective role of Reg3b in intestinal infection, Reg3b knockout (Reg3b-/-) mice and wild-type (WT) mice were orally infected with Gram-negative Salmonella enteritidis or Gram-positive Listeria monocytogenes. At day 2 after oral Listeria infection and at day 4 after oral Salmonella infection, mice were sacrificed to collect intestinal and other tissues for pathogen quantification. Protein expression of Reg3b and Reg3g was determined in intestinal mucosal scrapings of infected and noninfected mice. In addition, ex vivo binding of ileal mucosal Reg3b to Listeria and Salmonella was investigated. Whereas recovery of Salmonella or Listeria from feces of Reg3b-/- mice did not differ from that from feces of WT mice, significantly higher numbers of viable Salmonella, but not Listeria, bacteria were recovered from the colon, mesenteric lymph nodes, spleen, and liver of the Reg3b-/- mice than from those of WT mice. Mucosal Reg3b binds to both bacterial pathogens and may interfere with their mode of action. Reg3b plays a protective role against intestinal translocation of the Gram-negative bacterium S. enteritidis in mice but not against the Gram-positive bacterium L. monocytogenes

Synbiotics-supplemented amino acid-based formula supports adequate growth in cow's milk allergic infants

<p>Background: Children with cow's milk allergy (CMA) are at risk for inadequate nutritional intake and growth. Dietary management of CMA, therefore, requires diets that are not only hypoallergenic but also support adequate growth in this population. This study assessed growth of CMA infants when using a new amino acid-based formula (AAF) with prebiotics and probiotics (synbiotics) and evaluated its safety in the intended population. Methods: In a prospective, randomized, double-blind controlled study, full-term infants with diagnosed CMA received either an AAF (control; n = 56) or AAF with synbiotics (oligofructose, long-chain inulin, acidic oligosaccharides, Bifidobacterium breve M-16V) (test; n = 54) for 16 wk. Primary outcome was growth, measured as weight, length and head circumference. Secondary outcomes included allergic symptoms and stool characteristics. Results: Average age (±SD) of infants at inclusion was 4.5 ± 2.4 months. Both formulas equally supported growth according to WHO 2006 growth charts and resulted in similar increases of weight, length and head circumference. At week 16, differences (90% CI) in Z-scores (test-control) were as follows: weight 0.147 (-0.10; 0.39, p = 0.32), length -0.299 (-0.69; 0.09, p = 0.21) and head circumference 0.152 (-0.15; 0.45, p = 0.40). Weight-for-age and length-for-age Z-scores were not significantly different between the test and control groups. Both formulas were well tolerated and reduced allergic symptoms; the number of adverse events was not different between the groups. Conclusions: This is the first study that shows that an AAF with a specific synbiotic blend, suitable for CMA infants, supports normal growth and growth similar to the AAF without synbiotics. This clinical trial is registered as NCT00664768.</p