Bifico Relieves Irritable Bowel Syndrome By Regulating Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis and Inflammatory Cytokines in an Animal Model

Abstract Gut microbiota dysbiosis, a core pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), is closely related to immunological and metabolic functions. Gut microbiota-based therapeutics have been recently explored in several studies. Bifico is a probiotic cocktail widely used in gastrointestinal disorders which relate to the imbalance of gut microbiota. However, the efficacy and potential mechanisms of Bifico treatment in IBS remains incompletely understood. In this animal experiment, IBS mice received Bifico by intragastric administration. Subsequently, abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) scores showed a protective effect of Bifico in IBS mice. Then 16S rDNA, 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H-NMR) and western blot assays were performed to analyze alterations of gut microbiota, microbiome metabolites and inflammatory cytokines, respectively. Results suggested that while Bifico did not increase gut microbial diversity, it could change the composition of gut microbiota which were characterized by an increase of Proteobacteria phylum and Actinobacteria phylum, Muribaculum genera, Bifidobacterium genera and a decrease of Parabacteroides genera, Sutterella genera and Lactobacillus genera. Moreover, Bifico elevated the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and reduced protein levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). From further Spearman's correlation analysis, Bifidobacterium genera were positively correlated with SCFAs including propionate, butyrate, valerate and negatively correlated with IL-6 and TNF-α. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that Bifico could alleviate symptoms of IBS mice through regulation of the gut microbiota, elevating production of SCFAs and reducing the colonic inflammatory response. Therefore, Bifico may have utility in clinical practice.