Intestinal porcine epithelial cells were used for an in vitro analysis of mRNA expression levels of inflammatory cytokines (IL-8, IL-18) and transcriptional factors (MyD88 and NF-κβ). Cells were exposed to inorganic and organic zinc sources (in two different concentrations-50 μmol/L and 100 μmol/L) alone or combined with Lactobacillus reuteri B6/1, which was also applied individually. The total exposure time was 4 h. Quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR was used to determine expression levels of the aforementioned parameters. In general, upregulation was observed; however, a decrease of some mRNA's abundance was also determined. Differences in expression were analysed statistically using ANOVA and Tukey analyses. High relative expression was shown for IL-8, IL-18 and MyD88 in groups treated with 100 μmol/L of inorganic sources of zinc (ZnSO4) (p < 0.05), while groups treated with the organic form did not exhibit significant changes in expression. Also, 50 μmol/L of either zinc source did not significantly modify the transcriptional profile of the cytokines and transcription factors, showing that even inorganic sources, at lower concentrations, do not elicit a significant inflammatory reaction. In summary, supplementation of organic zinc source (Gly-Zn chelate) ensures that IL-8, IL-18, MyD88 and NF-κβ expression levels are not positively regulated. In contrast, inorganic sources of zinc (ZnSO4) could induce an inflammatory reaction. However, this response could be dampened if L. reuteri B6/1 is administered, showing the helpful aspect of using probiotics to modulate an inflammatory response. Conclusively, the use Gly-Zn chelate appears as an optimal alternative for Zn administration that does not compromise normal intestinal homeostasis.

中文翻译：

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锌和益生菌菌株刺激培养细胞后的细胞因子反应。

肠道猪上皮细胞用于体外分析炎症细胞因子（IL-8，IL-18）和转录因子（MyD88和NF-κβ）的mRNA表达水平。将细胞单独暴露于无机和有机锌源（两种不同的浓度分别为50μmol/ L和100μmol/ L）或与罗伊氏乳杆菌B6 / 1组合使用，后者也可单独使用。总暴露时间为4小时。定量逆转录酶PCR用于确定上述参数的表达水平。通常，观察到上调。然而，也确定了一些mRNA丰度的降低。使用ANOVA和Tukey分析对表达差异进行统计学分析。显示IL-8的相对表达较高，用100μmol/ L无机锌（ZnSO4）处理的组中的IL-18和MyD88（p <0.05），而用有机形式处理的组中IL-18和MyD88的表达没有明显变化。同样，任何一种锌源的50μmol/ L浓度都不会显着改变细胞因子和转录因子的转录谱，这表明即使是较低浓度的无机来源也不会引起明显的炎症反应。总之，补充有机锌源（Gly-Zn螯合物）可确保IL-8，IL-18，MyD88和NF-κβ的表达水平不受正向调节。相反，锌的无机来源（ZnSO4）可能引起炎症反应。但是，如果施用罗伊氏乳杆菌B6 / 1，则该反应可能会减弱，显示出使用益生菌调节炎症反应的有益方面。