AUTHOR=Stehlikova Zuzana , Kostovcikova Klara , Kverka Miloslav , Rossmann Pavel , Dvorak Jiri , Novosadova Iva , Kostovcik Martin , Coufal Stepan , Srutkova Dagmar , Prochazkova Petra , Hudcovic Tomas , Kozakova Hana , Stepankova Renata , Rob Filip , Juzlova Katerina , Hercogova Jana , Tlaskalova-Hogenova Helena , Jiraskova Zakostelska Zuzana TITLE=Crucial Role of Microbiota in Experimental Psoriasis Revealed by a Gnotobiotic Mouse Model JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology VOLUME=10 YEAR=2019 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00236 DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2019.00236 ISSN=1664-302X ABSTRACT=

Psoriatic patients have altered microbiota, both in the intestine and on the skin. It is not clear, however, whether this is a cause or consequence of the disease. In this study, using an experimental mouse model of psoriasis induced by imiquimod (IMQ), we show that oral treatment with a broad spectrum of antibiotics (MIX) or metronidazole (MET) alone mitigates the severity of skin inflammation through downregulation of Th17 immune response in conventional mice. Since some antibiotics, including MET, can influence immune system reactivity, we also evaluated the effect of MIX in the same model under germ-free (GF) conditions. GF mice treated with MET did not show milder signs of imiquimod-induced skin inflammation (IISI) which supports the conclusion that the therapeutic effect is mediated by changes in microbiota composition. Moreover, compared to controls, mice treated with MIX had a significantly higher abundance of the genus Lactobacillus in the intestine and on the skin. Mice treated with MET had a significantly higher abundance of the genera Bifidobacterium and Enterococcus both on the skin and in the intestine and of Parabacteroides distasonis in the intestine. Additionally, GF mice and mice monocolonized with either Lactobacillus plantarum or segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB) were more resistant to IISI than conventional mice. Interestingly, compared to GF mice, IMQ induced a higher degree of systemic Th17 activation in mice monocolonized with SFB but not with L. plantarum. The present findings provide evidence that intestinal and skin microbiota directly regulates IISI and emphasizes the importance of microbiota in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.