The Administration of Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 Ameliorates Development of DSS-Induced Colitis in Mice

The beneficial effects of probiotics on immune-based pathologies such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have been well reported. However, their exact mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Few studies have focused on the impact of probiotics on the composition of the colonic microbiota. The aim of the present study was to correlate the intestinal anti-inflammatory activity of the probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) in the dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) model of mouse colitis with the changes induced in colonic microbiota populations. EcN prevented the DSSinduced colonic damage, as evidenced by lower disease activity index (DAI) values and colonic weight/length ratio, when compa…