Effects of probiotics on apoptosis and proliferation of intestinal epithelial cells in rats with necrotizing enterocolitis

Objective To study the effect of compound Lactobacillus acidophilus on the apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells and expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in rats with necrotizing enterocolitis, so as to provide some theoretical reference for the application of compound Lactobacillus acidophilus in the prevention and treatment of necrotizing enterocolitis(NEC) for newborn infants. Methods Thirty-six 48-hour old newborn SD rats were randomly divided into normal group, model group and intervention group, with 12 rats in each group.The NEC model was established by hypoxia and cold stimulation for 3 days, and the intervention group was given the compound Lactobacillus acidophilus at the same time; after the model was established, all the rats were sacrificed after 12 hours of fasting and their intestinal tissues were excised by terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) method to determine the condition of apoptosis and to detect expression of the PCNA gene in the intestinal tissues by fluorescent quantitative PCR. Results (1) The apoptosis rates of the intestinal tissues: in the model group, the normal group and the intervention group were (88.33±2.77)%, (4.75±0.75)% and (44.41±4.81)%, respectively, and the differences had statistical significance(all P<0.05). (2) The PCNA expression in the intestinal tissue by real-time PCR in the model group, normal group and intervention group were (9.28±3.26)×10-4, (15.35±1.91)×10-4 and (12.09±3.06)×10-4, respectively, and the differences had statistical significance(all P<0.05). Conclusions The apoptosis rate of intestinal epithelial cells increases and PCNA expression decreases when NEC occurs.Compound Lactobacillus acidophilus can reduce apoptosis, promote intestinal epithelial cell proliferation, and thus help to reduce the risk and severity of NEC in neonatal rats. Key words: Neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis; Apoptosis; Proliferating cell nuclear antigen; Compound Lactobacillus acidophilus