Effects of probiotics, probiotic DNA and the CpG oligodeoxynucleotides on ovalbumin-sensitized Brown-Norway rats via TLR9/NF-κB pathway

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of living probiotics, probiotic DNA and the synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides containing CpG motifs (CpG-ODN) on both immune response and intestinal barrier function in ovalbumin-sensitized rat and the underlying mechanisms. Brown-Norway rats were orally sensitized with ovalbumin, and living probiotics, probiotic DNA extraction, synthetic CpG-ODN or non-CpG ODN control was administered. In the living probiotics, probiotic DNA and CpG-ODN groups, the allergic response was significantly inhibited, the Th1/Th2 cytokine balance was shifted away from Th2 side, the percentage of CD4+CD25+high Treg cells was increased, and the intestinal barrier function was improved. The levels of toll-like receptor (TLR) 9 mRNA and nuclear factor (NF)-κB activity, as well as the IκB-α phosphorylation (p-IκB-α) was significantly increased in these three intervention groups compared with the OVA-positive group, whereas no such effects were found in the non-CpG ODN control group. These data show that the probiotic genomic DNA and the synthetic CpG-ODN was comparable with living probiotics in preventing food allergic response by immune modulation and intestinal barrier function enhancement, and the activation of TLR9/NF-κB signal pathway might be involved in this process. © 2012 Federation of European Microbiological Societies.