Influences of probiotics combined with sulfasalazine on rats with ulcerative colitis via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

L.-N. Dong, M. Wang, J. Guo, J.-P. Wang

Department of Infectious Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an JiaoTong University, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an China; Central Laboratory, Shanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, The Affiliated People’s Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China. wangjp8396@126.com

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• Pharmacology

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influences of probiotics combined with sulfasalazine (SASP) on the expression of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in rats with ulcerative colitis (UC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 60 clean level and healthy Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into the normal group, model group, SASP group and combination therapy group, with 15 rats in each group. The rats in the normal group were given normal feeding, and those in the remaining three groups were subjected to the establishment of the UC model. During the modeling, the rats underwent daily gavage and were sacrificed after 4 weeks. Clinical symptoms and pathological changes in ulcer indexes and colon tissues were observed in each group. The expression levels of relative genes in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway were detected by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).

RESULTS: Compared with those in the model group, the pathological sections of rats in the SASP group and combination therapy group showed significant improvement in the inflammatory response. The expression levels of relative genes in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway were downregulated in rats of the SASP group and combination therapy group relative to those in the model group.

CONCLUSIONS: SASP and probiotics alleviate UC by reducing inflammation by inhibiting the activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, thereby improving intestinal function and restoring the intestinal structure.

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