Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain JB-1 reverses restraint stress-induced gut dysmotility

Background: Environmental stress affects the gut with dysmotility being a common consequence. Although a variety of microbes or molecules may prevent the dysmotility, none reverse the dysmotility. Methods: We have used a 1 hour restraint stress mouse model to test for treatment effects of the neuroactive microbe, L. rhamnosus JB-1^™. Motility of fluid-filled ex vivo gut segments in a perfusion organ bath was recorded by video and migrating motor complexes measured using spatiotemporal maps of diameter changes. Key Results: Stress reduced jejunal and increased colonic propagating contractile cluster velocities and frequencies, while increasing contraction amplitudes for both. Luminal application of 10E8 cfu/mL JB-1 restored motor complex variables to unstressed levels within minutes of application. L. salivarius or Na.acetate had no treatment effects, while Na.butyrate partially reversed stress effects on colonic frequency and amplitude. Na.propionate reversed the stress effects for jejunum and colon except on jejunal amplitude. Conclusions & Inferences: Our findings demonstrate, for the first time, a potential for certain beneficial microbes as treatment of stress-induced intestinal dysmotility and that the mechanism for restoration of function occurs within the intestine via a rapid drug-like action on the enteric nervous system.