Pediococcus pentosaceus L1 mitigates inflammation from enterotoxigenic E. coli F4 + in piglets via NF-κB pathway regulation

Chen Liu ¹ Huajuan Yin ¹ Pengfei Ye ¹ Shiyu Chen ¹ Bangquan Zeng ² Le Xu ^1* Zhenhui Cao ^1*

• ¹ Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
• ² Kunming Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is the main cause of diarrhea in weaned piglets, and Pediococcus pentosaceus has been demonstrated to mitigate the intestinal inflammatory response.The role of P. pentosaceus in mitigating ETEC-induced inflammatory responses through modulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway in vivo remains unclear. Forty 21-day-old piglets were randomly assigned to four groups: non-challenged control group (Control), ETEC-challenged group (ETEC), P. pentosaceus L1 prevention group (ETEC+L1), and P. pentosaceus L1-supplemented group (L1). P. pentosaceus L1 effectively reduced diarrhea rate and feces scores while enhancing growth performance in piglets challenged with ETEC F4 + . P. pentosaceus L1 significantly reduced the mRNA expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, NF-κB2, RELA, and RELB in the jejunal and ileal mucosa of piglets challenged with ETEC F4 + and also decreased NF-κB1 mRNA expression in the ileal mucosa. P. pentosaceus L1 significantly decreased IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α levels in the jejunum and ileum mucosa of ETEC F4+ challenged piglets. Additionally, P. pentosaceus L1 reduced the phosphorylation of p65, IκBα, and TAK1 in the jejunum and ileum mucosa of piglets challenged by ETEC F4 + . In conclusion, P. pentosaceus L1 inhibits the NF-κB pathway by down-regulating the phosphorylation of IκBα and TAK1, thereby alleviating ETEC F4 + -induced intestinal inflammation and diarrhea.