Lactobacillus plantarum ZJ316 alleviates ulcerative colitis by inhibiting inflammation and regulating short-chain fatty acid levels and the gut microbiota in a mouse model

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease that is mainly related to gut microbiota dysbiosis. Lactobacillus plantarum ZJ316 (ZJ316) has been proved to regulate the gut microbiota in vitro. However, more evidence is needed for the intestinal effects of ZJ316 in vivo. Colitis was induced via dissolved 2.5% DSS in drinking water for 7 days in 8-week-old BALB/c mice, which were then fed with ZJ316 (1 × 108 CFU mL-1) for 35 days. After ZJ316 intervention, the dextran sulfate sodium salt (DSS)-induced colitis symptoms were remarkably alleviated, including recovery of body weight and colon weight and effective inhibition of the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Results based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing indicated that the structure of the gut microbiota in ZJ316 supplementation was markedly altered by upregulating the percentage of Firmicutes while reducing the percentage of Bacteroidetes. Furthermore, the colon contained more short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and butyrate-producing genera, such as Faecalibacterium, Agathobacter, and Roseburia. Spearman correlation analysis indicated that SCFAs, especially butyric acid, were positively associated with Faecalibacterium and Agathobacter. Our study suggested that ZJ316 could be used to relieve ulcerative colitis (UC) as dietary therapeutics.