Evaluation of the Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Milk Fermented by a Strain of IL-10-Producing Lactococcus lactis Using a Murine Model of Crohn’s Disease

Abstract

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is the most important anti-inflammatory cytokine at intestinal level, and its absence is involved in inflammatory bowel diseases. However, oral treatment with IL-10 is difficult because of its low survival in the gastrointestinal tract and systemic treatments lead to undesirable side effects. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of the administration of milks fermented by Lactococcus lactis strains that produce IL-10 under the control of the xylose-inducible expression system using a trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid-induced colitis murine model. Mice that received milks fermented by L. lactis strains producing IL-10 in the cytoplasm (Cyt strain) or secreted to the product (Sec strain) showed lower damage scores in their large intestines, decreased IFN- gamma levels in their intestinal fluids and lower microbial translocation to liver, compared to mice receiving milk fermented by the wild-type strain or those not receiving any treatment. The results obtained in this study show that the employment of fermented milks as a new form of administration of IL-10-producing L. lactis is effective in the prevention of inflammatory bowel disease in a murine model.