Phage cocktail inhibits inflammation and protects the integrity of the intestinal barrier in dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis mice model

Abstract

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease characterized by abdominal pain, diarrhea, and rectal bleeding. This study aims to explore the protective effects of a phage cocktail (10⁸ PFU/mL of Clostridium perfringens phage, 10⁸ PFU/mL of Escherichia coli phage, and 10⁸ PFU/mL of Salmonella phage) on a mouse colitis model induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) and its potential toxic effects on normal mice. The results demonstrate that the phage cocktail significantly alleviates clinical symptoms in mice, reduces colon shortening, weight loss, and colonic pathological damage. Furthermore, the phage cocktail markedly suppresses the inflammatory response and safeguards intestinal barrier integrity in the colonic tissues of the mouse colitis model. Preliminary investigation of the toxic effects of the phage cocktail in mice indicates that continuous administration for 14 days does not yield statistically significant differences in hematological and blood biochemical parameters, and specific pathological changes are absent in histopathological examination results. The aforementioned findings suggest that the phage cocktail exhibits anti-inflammatory and intestinal barrier protective effects in the mouse colitis model, and it does not exert significant toxic side effects on mice.