Weissella confusa F213 ameliorated inflammation and maintained intestinal mucosa integrity in chemically induced colitis rats

This study was performed to investigate the potential effects of Weissella confusa F213 (WCF213) on chemically-induced colitis rats. Twelve male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: T1 (saline sterile), T2 (2.5% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)- for 7 days), and T3 (WCF213 for 14 days, continued with 2.5% DSS for 7 days). The disease activity index (DAI) was monitored. After sacrificing the rats, the colon was collected for length measurement, local TNF-α level, HE staining for histology, and ZO-1 expression by using immunohistochemistry. WCF213 administration prevented weight loss and haematochezia, maintained average colon length and alleviated the clinical symptom of colitis, such as diarrhoea, albeit statistically non-significant (p