AUTHOR=Guo Shuangshuang , Liu Dan , Zhang Beibei , Li Zhui , Li Yehan , Ding Binying , Guo Yuming 

TITLE=Two Lactobacillus Species Inhibit the Growth and α-Toxin Production of Clostridium perfringens and Induced Proinflammatory Factors in Chicken Intestinal Epithelial Cells in Vitro

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2017

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2017.02081

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2017.02081

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Clostridium perfringens</italic> is the causative pathogen of avian necrotic enteritis. <italic>Lactobacillus</italic> spp. are well-characterized probiotics with anti-microbial and immune-modulatory activities. In the present study, we investigated the effects of <italic>L. acidophilus</italic> and <italic>L. fermentum</italic> on the growth, α-toxin production and inflammatory responses of <italic>C. perfringens</italic>. In <italic>in vitro</italic> culture experiments, both lactobacilli inhibited the growth of <italic>C. perfringens</italic> (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.01), accompanied with a decrease in pH (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.01). Supernatants from lactobacilli cultures also suppressed the growth of <italic>C. perfringens</italic> during 24 h of incubation (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.01), but this inhibitory effect disappeared after 48 h. Both lactobacilli decreased the α-toxin production of <italic>C. perfringens</italic> (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.01) without influencing its biomass, and even degraded the established α-toxin (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.01). Lower environmental pH reduced the α-toxin production as well (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.01). Preincubation with <italic>L. acidophilus</italic> decreased the attachment of <italic>C. perfringens</italic> to cells (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.01) with the cell cytotoxicity being unaffected. Both lactobacilli pretreatment reduced the up-regulation of proinflammatory factors, peptidoglycan (PGN) receptors and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) p65 in <italic>C. perfringens</italic>-challenged chicken intestinal epithelial cells (<italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.05). In conclusion, <italic>L. acidophilus</italic> and <italic>L. fermentum</italic> inhibited the pathological effects of <italic>C. perfringens in vitro</italic> conditions.</p>