Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of probiotic oligo saccharides (POS) on the recovery of the bowel atrophy induced by protein malnutrition (PM) in rats. Thirty male Wistar rats (200 to 250 g) were fed with a conventional diet for 10 days of adaptation. After this period, the rats are divided into 3 groups. A control group was fed with a conventional diet (n = 10), and a group of 20 rats was subjected to PM for 15 days. After period of PM, 10 rats were refed with enriched POS diet for 10 days (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium lactis, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Streptococcus thermophilus and fructo-oligosaccharides (0.5 mg/g body weight/day). Our experimental protocol was developed to evaluate some nutritional biochemical parameters such as total proteins, globulin and albumin and morphometric parameters of the intestine. Probiotic oligo saccharides group showed similar gain of body, liver and bowel weight than controls. Malnourished rats showed significant weight loss during 15 days of the experiment (123.88 ± 3.9 to 116.87 ± 3.7 g) compared to control group rats (123.67 ± 5.6 to 179.4 ± 9.5 g). We noted a significant recovery of body weight (123.52 ± 5.23 to 181.08 ± 9.9 g) in rats refed with POS compared to malnourished rats (123.67 ± 3.9 to 116.4 ± 3.75 g). Biochemical parameters have a significant decrease in the concentration of total protein, albumin and globulin in malnourished rats compared with control to group rats. These biochemical values ​​increased in rats refed with POS. At the jejunum, both the villus height (372 ± 39 vs. 288 ± 32 µm; p = 0.03) and crypt depth (145 ± 29 vs. 138 ± 29 µm; p = 0.03) were greater in POS group than malnourished group. The crypt depth at the cecum (219 ± 56 vs. 215 ± 27 µm; p = 0.05), the wall width at both the cecum (409 ± 13 vs. 382 ± 31 µm; p = 0.03) and sigmoid (377 ± 32 vs. 389 ± 39 µm; p = 0.03) were higher in animals fed with POS than control group. These data suggest that PM causes alterations on rat colon and small intestinal morphometric, especially in tissues which present a high level of cell turnover such as the mucosa tunic and consequently their structures such as the enterocytes, goblet cells and crypts. Probiotics oligosaccharides enhanced the recovery of gut atrophy induced by protein malnutrition. Probiotic oligo saccharides can be useful as oral adjuvant during the recovery of protein malnutrition.

Key words: Protein malnutrition, probiotic oligo saccharides, nutritional biochemical parameter,  intestinal histomorphometric.