Remodeling gut microbiota by Streptococcus thermophilus 19 attenuates inflammation in septic mice

Background:Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection and is the leading cause of death in burn patients. S. thermophilus 19 is highly effective probiotic strains with well-studied health benefits, but its role in protecting viscera against injury caused by sepsis and the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. Methodology/Principal Findings: We tested the utility of S. thermophilus 19 in attenuating inflammation in vitro and vivo of a Lps-induced sepsis mouse model. We also evaluated the influence of sepsis and S. thermophilus on microbial community.In vitro, S. thermophilus 19 can decrease the expression of inflammatory factors. Additionally, in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced septic mouse model, mice administered the probiotics 19 was highly resistant to LPS and exhibited decreased expression of inflammatory factors compared to LPS-treated control mice. A MiSeq-based sequence analysis revealed that gut microbiota alterations in mice intraperitoneally injected with 1 mg/ml LPS were mitigated by the administration of oral probiotics 19. Furthermore, changes in the levels of inflammatory factors in different organs related to different gut microbiota alterations were observed. Conclusions/Significance: Together these findings indicate that S. thermophilus 19 may be a new avenue for interventions against inflammation caused by sepsis and other systemic inflammatory diseases.