Bifidobacterium breve CCFM1078 Alleviates Collagen-Induced Arthritis in Rats via Modulating the Gut Microbiota and Repairing the Intestinal Barrier Damage

This study focused on the effects of Bifidobacterium breve CCFM1078 on the intestinal barrier and systemic inflammation of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats. Female rats were divided into three groups with daily intragastric administration of either saline (control group and model group) or B. breve CCFM1078 (CCFM1078 group, 3 × 109cfu/rat per day) for 5 weeks. In the Model and CCFM1078 groups, arthritis was induced by subcutaneous collagen injection. We found that B. breve CCFM1078 can repair the intestinal barrier, reduce LPS translocation, regulate gut microbiota composition, and increase short-chain fatty acids in the intestine. Then, it can reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines release, adjust immune dysfunction, and inhibit TLR4-MyD88-dependent pathways and downstream inflammatory pathways to alleviate joint inflammation in CIA rats. These findings suggest that B. breve CCFM1078 may alleviate joint inflammation by adjusting the profile of gut microbiota and enhancing the intestinal barrier.