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Background Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis (B. infantis) is a commensal bacterium that colonizes the gastrointestinal tract of breast-fed infants. B. infantis can efficiently utilize the abundant supply of oligosaccharides found in human milk (HMO) to help establish residence. We hypothesized that metabolites from B. infantis grown on HMO produce a beneficial effect on the host. Results In a previous study, we demonstrated that B. infantis routinely dominated the fecal microbiota of a breast fed Bangladeshi infant cohort (1). Characterization of the fecal metabolome of binned samples representing high and low B. infantis populations from this cohort revealed higher amounts of the tryptophan metabolite indole-3-lactic acid (ILA) in feces with high levels of B. infantis. Further in vitro analysis confirmed that B. infantis produced significantly greater quantities of the ILA when grown on HMO versus lactose, suggesting a growth substrate relationship to ILA production. The direct effects of ILA were assessed in a macrophage cell line and intestinal epithelial cell lines. ILA (1-10 mM) significantly attenuated lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced activation of NF-kB in macrophages. ILA significantly attenuated TNF-α- and LPS-induced increase in the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-8 in intestinal epithelial cells. ILA increased mRNA expression of the aryl hydrogen receptor (AhR)-target gene CYP1A1 and nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 (Nrf2)-targeted genes glutathione reductase 2 (GPX2), superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), and NAD(P) H dehydrogenase (NQO1). Pretreatment with either the AhR antagonist or Nrf-2 antagonist inhibited the response of ILA on downstream effectors. Conclusions These findings suggest that ILA, a predominant metabolite from B. infantis grown on HMO and elevated in infant stool high in B. infantis, and protects gut epithelial cells in culture via activation of the AhR and Nrf2 pathway.

Abstract 3600 Poster Board III-537 The mobilization of blood monocytes and their differentiation into macrophages during the immune-inflammatory response helps to prepare the tissue for resolution. During the resolution phase of inflammation macrophages do not die locally: some cells emigrate by draining lymphatics whereas some remain at the site of inflammation. The major myelo-monocytic integrin αMβ2 (Mac-1, CD11b/CD18), together with two related integrins αDβ2 (CD11d/CD18) and αXβ2 (CD11c/CD18), mediate critical adhesive reactions of monocyte/macrophages. However, the roles of these adhesion receptors in control of macrophage retention at sites of inflammation and their emigration to lymph nodes are unclear. Using a mouse model of sterile peritonitis induced by thioglycollate injection, we examined the dynamics of macrophage β2 integrins during the resolution phase of inflammation. Macrophages were defined by FACS analyses as a population of cells expressing αMβ2high, αDβ2+ and CD115+. The initial population of resident β2, positive for βDβ2 and negative for αXβ2. The thioglycollate-challenged mice showed a ∼4-fold increase in macrophages on day 3 followed by a progressive decrease to normal resident cell numbers by day 13. Expression of αMβ2 on macrophages on day 3 decreased by 2.5-fold as a result of dilution of the initial population of αMβ2high resident macrophages by infiltrating blood monocytes expressing αMβ2low. However, after day 3, the density of αMβ2 on macrophages gradually increased and by day 13 returned to the high levels characteristic of resident macrophages. By contrast, expression of αDβ2 and αXβ2 on inflammatory macrophages increased by 2-fold by day 6-9 compared to that on resident macrophages and then returned to the resident levels by day 3. Thus, although the number of macrophages decreased from day 3 to day 9 by several fold, the population of macrophages which remained in the peritoneum was enriched in cells expressing the high levels of αMβ2 and αDα2. Tracking migration of fluorescently labeled peritoneal cells demonstrated that a population of macrophages which leaves the inflamed peritoneum and enters lymph nodes consists of cells expressing low levels of αMβ2 and αDβ2. These data suggested that upregulation of β2 integrins, especially αMβ2, may be responsible for the retention of macrophages in the peritoneum. Indeed, the rate of macrophage emigration from the peritoneum in the αMβ2-deficient mice was significantly higher than that in wild-type mice. The results indicate that macrophage emigration from the inflamed site is controlled by the level of integrin αMβ2 and αDβ2 with low expressors being migratory and high expressors remaining in the peritoneum. The data also highlight the importance of integrins αDβ2 and αXβ2 as specific markers of inflammatory macrophages. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.