Non-digestible oligosaccharides partially prevent the development of LPS-induced lung emphysema in mice

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a progressive inflammatory disorder, is also known as a systemic inflammatory disease, in which the gut-lung interaction plays an important role. The use of non-digestible oligosaccharides (NDOs) has gained attention in airway diseases due to their systemic effects on inflammatory markers. Here, the preventive effects of specific non-digestible oligosaccharides (GOS/lcFOS/lvPectin) were investigated in a murine lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced emphysema model. Nasal LPS-installations were used to induce emphysema in male BALB/c mice. Two weeks prior to the first LPS challenge, mice received GOS/lcFOS/lvPectin (9:1:2) mixture by gavage (25 mg NDOs/200 mu l PBS) five days a week until day 28. The LPS-induced neutrophil influx in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) decreased by > 60% after intervention with GOS/lcFOS/lvPectin and the development of lung emphysema, measured by mean linear intercept, was prevented. Macroscopic examination of heart tissue revealed that GOS/lcFOS/lvPectin pretreatment attenuated the LPS-induced increase in right ventricular heart hypertrophy. In summary, GOS/lcFOS/lvPectin prevented characteristic features of COPD in the LPS-induced lung emphysema model. Since no therapy is available to stop or prevent development of COPD, oligosaccharides may have potential to be used as stand alone or in combination with other anti-inflammatory nutrients or drugs to diminish disease progression in COPD.