Bee Pollen and Probiotics' Potential to Protect and Treat Intestinal Permeability in Propionic Acid-Induced Rodent Model of Autism

Rodent models may help investigations on the possible link between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and gut microbiota since autistic patients frequently manifested gastrointestinal troubles as co-morbidities. Thirty young male rats were divided into five groups: Group 1 serves as control; Group 2, bee pollen and probiotic-treated; and Group 3, propionic acid (PPA)-induced rodent model of autism; Group 4 and Group 5, the protective and therapeutic groups were given bee pollen and probiotic combination treatment either before or after the neurotoxic dose of PPA, respectively. Serum occludin, zonulin, lipid peroxides (MDA), glutathione (GSH), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), catalase, and gut microbial composition were assessed in all investigated groups. Recorded data clearly indicated the marked elevation in serum occludin (1.23 +/- 0.15 ng/mL) and zonulin (1.91 +/- 0.13 ng/mL) levels as potent biomarkers of leaky gut in the PPA- treated rats while both were normalized to bee pollen/probiotic-treated rats. Similarly, the high significant decrease in catalase (3.55 +/- 0.34 U/dL), GSH (39.68 +/- 3.72 mu g/mL), GST (29.85 +/- 2.18 U/mL), and GPX (13.39 +/- 1.54 U/mL) concomitant with a highly significant increase in MDA (3.41 +/- 0.12 mu moles/mL) as a marker of oxidative stress was also observed in PPA-treated animals. Interestingly, combined bee pollen/probiotic treatments demonstrated remarkable amelioration of the five studied oxidative stress variables as well as the fecal microbial composition. Overall, our findings demonstrated a new approach to the beneficial use of bee pollen and probiotic combination as a therapeutic intervention strategy to relieve neurotoxic effects of PPA, a short-chain fatty acid linked to the pathoetiology of autism.

Automated summary

Rodent models are useful for studying the potential connection between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and gut microbiota, as autistic patients often experience gastrointestinal problems. In this study, 30 young male rats were divided into different groups and treated with bee pollen and probiotics to investigate the effects on gut health and oxidative stress markers. The results showed that the combination treatment significantly improved leaky gut biomarkers and reduced oxidative stress levels in rats exposed to propionic acid, which is associated with the pathogenesis of autism. These findings suggest that bee pollen and probiotics could be a beneficial therapeutic intervention for relieving the neurotoxic effects of propionic acid.