Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastroenterol. Mar 21, 2026; 32(11): 114335
Published online Mar 21, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i11.114335
Published online Mar 21, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i11.114335
Lactobacillus acidophilus attenuates polyethylene glycol-induced susceptibility to Citrobacter rodentium infection via microbiota modulation
Guan-Jun Kou, Xiu-Li Zuo, Yan-Qing Li, Department of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong Province, China
Jing Shen, Advanced Medical Research Institute, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong Province, China
Li-Xiang Li, Department of Gastroenterology, Laboratory of Translational Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan 250012, Shandong Province, China
Author contributions: Kou GJ contributed to statistical analysis, study concept and design and manuscript drafting; Shen J contributed to data analysis and interpretation; Li LX contributed to critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content; Zuo XL and Li YQ contributed to study supervision. All authors have read and approved the manuscript.
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82470571.
Institutional animal care and use committee statement: This animal use was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Qilu Hospital, Shandong University (Approval No. DWLL-2021-058). All procedures and methods adhered to the relevant guidelines and regulations.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
ARRIVE guidelines statement: The authors have read the ARRIVE guidelines, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the ARRIVE guidelines.
Data sharing statement: The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.
Corresponding author: Yan-Qing Li, Department of Gastroenterology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, No. 107 Wenhua West Road, Jinan 250012, Shandong Province, China. liyanqing@sdu.edu.cn
Received: September 17, 2025
Revised: October 17, 2025
Accepted: January 4, 2026
Published online: March 21, 2026
Processing time: 180 Days and 23.5 Hours
Revised: October 17, 2025
Accepted: January 4, 2026
Published online: March 21, 2026
Processing time: 180 Days and 23.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Although polyethylene glycol is a relevant compound for clinical applications, recent studies suggest that it could potentially alter the colonic microbiota composition, thereby opening ways for opportunistic pathogen colonization and invasion. Therefore, we aimed to shed light to these questions by infecting a murine model with Citrobacter rodentium, a surrogate for enteropathogenic Escherichia coli and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli. Furthermore, we investigated whether Lactobacillus acidophilus administration could potentially protect the colon microbiota against such possible alteration and pathogen invasion.