Effect of Doxycycline in Decreasing the Severity of <i>Clostridioides difficile</i> Infection in Mice

• Main Authors: Bo-Yang Tsai (Author), Yi-Hsin Lai (Author), Chun-Wei Chiu (Author), Chih-Yu Hsu (Author), Yi-Hsuan Chen (Author), Yueh-Lin Chen (Author), Pei-Jane Tsai (Author), Yuan-Pin Hung (Author), Wen-Chien Ko (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

<b>Background:</b> Doxycycline possesses antibacterial activity against <i>Clostridioides difficile</i> and anti-inflammatory effects. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> The influence of doxycycline on the development of CDI was studied in an established animal model of CDI using C57BL/6 mice. <b>Results:</b> Mice intraperitoneally administered doxycycline had higher cecum weight (1.3 ± 0.1 vs. 0.5 ± 0.1 g; <i>p</i> < 0.001) and less body weight reduction (0.7 ± 0.5 g vs. −17.4 ± 0.2 g; <i>p</i> < 0.001) than untreated mice infected with <i>C. difficile</i>. Oral doxycycline, metronidazole, or vancomycin therapy resulted in less body weight reduction in mice with CDI than in untreated mice (1.1 ± 0.1 g, 1.3 ± 0.2 g, 1.2 ± 0.1 g, vs. 2.9 ± 0.3 g; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Doxycycline therapy led to lower expression levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (0.4 ± 0.1 vs. 2.9 ± 1.3, <i>p</i> = 0.02), and higher levels of zonula occludens-1 (1.2 ± 0.1 vs. 0.8 ± 0.1, <i>p</i> = 0.02) in colonic tissues than in untreated mice. <b>Conclusions:</b> Concurrent intraperitoneal administration of doxycycline and oral <i>C. difficile</i> challenge does not aggravate the disease severity of CDI, and oral doxycycline may be a potential therapeutic option for CDI.

Item Description

10.3390/antibiotics11010116
2079-6382