ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1631322
A multi-strain probiotic formulation preserves Intestinal Epithelial and Vascular Barriers During Enteropathogenic infection
Provisionally accepted
Annamaria Naso1
Michela Lizier1Carmen Correale1Alessandra Silvestri1Giuseppe Penna1Paola Brescia1,2*
Maria Rescigno1,2*- 1IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Italy
- 2Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Italy
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The integrity of the intestinal barrier, composed progressively of a mucus, epithelial and barrier vascular layer is critical for maintaining gut homeostasis and preventing systemic translocation of pathogens. Disruptions in any of these protective barrier layers can lead to various health issues, highlighting the need for strategies to preserve barrier function. This study investigated the effects of a multi-strain probiotic formulation (MPF), on intestinal barrier integrity in a murine model infected with Salmonella typhimurium. Mice pre-treated with the probiotic formulation exhibited a preserved mucus layer, maintained intestinal epithelial barrier (IEB) integrity, evidenced by sustained expression of mucins and the tight junction protein Zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), and reduced Salmonella translocation in the colon. Furthermore, the MPF maintained the gut vascular barrier (GVB) integrity by preventing the upregulation of plasmalemma vesicle-associated protein-1 (PV1), typically induced by Salmonella infection. The treatment also mitigated morphological damage, including villus and crypt shortening, caused by the pathogen. These findings suggest that this new formulation of multi-strain probiotics protects against Salmonella-induced damage to both the IEB and GVB, supporting its potential as a therapeutic intervention for managing conditions associated with intestinal barrier dysfunction. Further research is warranted to elucidate the specific mechanisms of action and validate these results in human populations.
Keywords: Gut vascular barrier, microbiota, leaky gut, Probiotics, intestinal epithelium
Received: 20 May 2025; Accepted: 02 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Naso, Lizier, Correale, Silvestri, Penna, Brescia and Rescigno. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Paola Brescia, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Italy
Maria Rescigno, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Italy
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