Probiotic Treatment of Colitis in Animal Models and People

Animal models of colitis, which mimic human colitis conditions to a certain degree, provide a platform for testing the efficacy of novel pharmacological agents. There is compelling evidence from animal models of inflammatory colitis and from clinical observations of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease that bacterial factors play a prominent role in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) pathogenesis. Various rodent models of inflammatory colitis have evolved over the past 20 years, which have provided an opportunity to test new therapeutic agents that may have efficacy in management of IBD. At the present time, despite positive data from rodent colitis models, adequate evidence for use of probiotics in IBD exists only for preventing pouchitis and maintaining remission from pouchitis exacerbations. Continued development and study of probiotics in rodent models and humans appear rational, given the role that bacteria seem to play in the underlying etiology of IBD. The possibility of using probiotic bacteria as a drug delivery tool has only begun to be explored. Additional preclinical and clinical studies will shed more light on this intriguing treatment option.