Fermented Soymilk with Probiotic Lactobacilli and Bifidobacterium Strains Ameliorates Dextran-Sulfate-Sodium-Induced Colitis in Rats

: Current treatments for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are relatively futile and the extended use of drugs may reduce effectiveness. Several probiotic strains have shown promise in relieving/treating IBD symptoms. : The current study investigated the impact of fermented soymilk with a mixture of probiotic starter cultures containing , , , , , and subsp. in rats with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis compared to control. : Rats were randomly assigned to five groups (5 rats/group; n = 25): G1: negative normal control; G2: positive control (DSS); G3: DSS with sulfasalazine (DSS-Z); G4: DSS with soymilk (DSS-SM), and G5: DSS with fermented soymilk (DSS-FSM). Parameters monitored included the following: the disease activity index (DAI), macroscopic and histological assessments of colitis, and a fecal microbial analysis performed to assess the severity of inflammation and ulceration. : The DSS-FSM rats group exhibited lower DAI scores ( < 0.05) than other treated groups during the induction period. A macroscopical examination revealed no ulceration or swelling in the intestinal mucosa of rats in the DSS-FSM-treated group, resembling the findings in the negative control group. In the positive control (DSS group), the colon tissue showed increased inflammation ( < 0.05), whereas those in the DSS-SM- and DSS-FSM-treated rats groups did not show significant macroscopic scores of colitis. The positive DSS control and DSS-Z groups had crypt erosion and ulceration areas, severe crypt damage, and epithelial surface erosion, which were absent in the negative control and DSS-FSM groups. The counts of spp. and spp. remained stable in both G1 and G5 over 4 weeks. The consumption of fermented soymilk with a mixture of probiotics could minimize the severity of DSS-induced colitis in rats. , it was found that fermented soymilk containing and might be an effective vehicle for reducing the severity of DSS-induced colitis in rats.