Estrogen inhibits the overgrowth of Escherichia coli in the rat intestine under simulated microgravity

Yang,Yongtao; Qu,Changmin; Liang,Shuwen; Wang,Gang; Han,Haolun; Chen,Na; Wang,Xiaoying; Luo,Zhiwen; Zhong,Changqing; Chen,Yan; Li,Lianyong; Wu,Wei

doi:10.3892/mmr.2017.8109

Estrogen inhibits the overgrowth of Escherichia coli in the rat intestine under simulated microgravity

Authors:
- Yongtao Yang
- Changmin Qu
- Shuwen Liang
- Gang Wang
- Haolun Han
- Na Chen
- Xiaoying Wang
- Zhiwen Luo
- Changqing Zhong
- Yan Chen
- Lianyong Li
- Wei Wu
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Affiliations: Department of Gastroenterology, The 306th Hospital of PLA, Beijing 100101, P.R. China, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The 306th Hospital of PLA, Beijing 100101, P.R. China
Published online on: November 20, 2017 https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2017.8109
Pages: 2313-2320
Copyright: © Yang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Microgravity can affect many aspects of intestinal homeostasis, leading to an increased risk of colitis. Estrogen, the most frequently affected hormone when under simulated microgravity, regulates the permeability of the colonic mucosa barrier. The associations between alterations in intestinal microbiota and increased susceptibility under microgravity have not been thoroughly elucidated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the changes in intestinal microbiota under simulated microgravity and to investigate the protective effect of estrogen against those changes. The hindlimb unweighting (HU) model was used to simulate microgravity in rats. Estrogen was administered via intramuscular injection. Amplicons of the V3 variable regions of bacterial 16S rDNA were analyzed using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), cloning and sequencing. Several specific bacterial groups were assayed using quantitative‑polymerase chain reaction. Bacterial translocation was evaluated by detecting serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and LPS binding protein (LBP) levels. DGGE profiles generated by universal primers revealed minor, though specific, changes in bacterial communities under simulated microgravity, particularly the band matching the sequence of Escherichia coli (E. coli). The quantification of 16S RNA revealed increased numbers of Bacteroides fragilis, E. coli and Fusobacterium nucleatum; however, Bifidobacteria longum significantly decreased under microgravity. Estrogen inhibited the overgrowth of E. coli, and decreased the levels of LBS and LBP under simulated microgravity. These results demonstrated that simulated microgravity alters the intestinal microflora and may contribute to bacterial translocation in the gut mucosa. The data also suggested that further investigations evaluating the administration of estrogen to protect against microgravity‑associated diseases may be required.

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