Preventive Effects of Lactobacillus Plantarum YS4 on Constipation Induced by Activated Carbon in Mice

This study was designed to analyze the effects of Lactobacillus plantarum YS4 (LP-YS4) on activated carbon-induced constipation in ICR (Institute of Cancer Research) mice. The mice were fed on YS4 and LB (Lactobacillus bulgaricus), followed by inducing constipation. The results of the experiment suggested that anti-gastric acid and bile salt activities of LP-YS4 were more effective than LB. It was conclusive that LP-YS4 could inhibit the weight loss induced by constipation and had an effect on fecal weight, particle number and further decrease in water content initiated by constipation. At the same time, LP-YS4 could increase gastrointestinal (GI) transit rate and limit the time of the first black stool defecation. It could also raise the motilin (MTL), endothelin (ET), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), substance P (SP), and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) serum levels and reduce the somatostatin (SS) level in constipated mice as compared to the mice in control group. LP-YS4 could reduce myeloperoxidase (MPO), nitric oxide (NO), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in small intestinal tissue of mice and raise glutathione (GSH) levels as compared to the control group mice. By H&E (hematoxylin-eosin) assay, we determined that LP-YS4 could reduce the small intestinal tissue injury by activated carbon. Real-Time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) experiment data demonstrated that LP-YS4 has the capability to increase c-Kit, stem cell factor (SCF), glial cellline-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) mRNA (messenger RNA) expressions and decrease transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), nitric oxide synthase (NOS) expressions in small intestine tissue of constipated mice. High concentration of LP-YS4 exhibited much better effects than that of LB. From these results, LP-YS4 could be considered as an effective substance that actively inhibits constipation