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Microorganisms
Volume 13
Issue 12
10.3390/microorganisms13122864
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Modulation of Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis in Germ-Free Mice by Enterococcus faecalis Monocolonization

by
Beate Vestad
1,2,3,*,
Petra Hanzely
1,2,3,4,
Indrė Karaliūtė
5,
Oda Ramberg
1,2,
Jurgita Skiecevičienė
5,6,
Rokas Lukoševičius
5,
Jørgen V. Bjørnholt
3,7,
Kristian Holm
1,2,3,
Juozas Kupčinskas
5,6,
Henrik Rasmussen
3,4,
Johannes R. Hov
1,2,3,6 and
Espen Melum
1,2,3,8,9
1
Norwegian PSC Research Center, Department of Transplantation Medicine, Division of Surgery and Specialized Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway
2
Research Institute of Internal Medicine, Division of Surgery and Specialized Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway
3
Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, 0424 Oslo, Norway
4
Department of Comparative Medicine, Division of Oslo Hospital Services, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, 0424 Oslo, Norway
5
Laboratory of Clinical and Molecular Gastroenterology, Institute for Digestive Research, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania
6
Department of Gastroenterology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania
7
Department of Microbiology, Division of Laboratory Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, 0424 Oslo, Norway
8
Section of Gastroenterology, Department of Transplantation Medicine, Division of Surgery and Specialized Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway
9
Hybrid Technology Hub-Centre of Excellence, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, 0424 Oslo, Norway
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Microorganisms 2025, 13(12), 2864; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13122864
Submission received: 3 November 2025 / Revised: 9 December 2025 / Accepted: 12 December 2025 / Published: 16 December 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Gut Microbiota)
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Abstract

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (UC), are characterized by chronic gastrointestinal inflammation and involve complex interactions of genetic, environmental, and immune factors. Enterococcus faecalis, a gut commensal bacterium, has been implicated in IBD pathogenesis. This study investigated the effects of monocolonization with a UC-derived E. faecalis strain on acute dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in germ-free (GF) mice, focusing on epithelial injury, inflammatory markers, hematologic indices, and bacterial translocation. In DSS-treated mice, monocolonization was associated with modest and mixed effects, including a higher colitis-related disease activity score, reduced anemia, increased fecal albumin and a trend towards reduced fecal calprotectin. Despite translocation of E. faecalis to mesenteric lymph nodes, no systemic dissemination was observed. Histological analysis revealed broadly similar inflammatory patterns between DSS-treated groups, with slightly more epithelial injury observed in colonized mice. These findings suggest that E. faecalis may influence discrete aspects of DSS injury in a strain-dependent and context-specific manner, rather than broadly altering overall disease severity. This study highlights the utility of GF models for examining strain-specific host–microbe interactions and underscores that individual bacterial isolates may exert heterogeneous and selective effects on acute colitis. Further research is needed to elucidate these complex mechanisms.
Keywords: inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); bacterial translocation; epithelial barrier dysfunction; host–microbe interactions; gut microbiota inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); bacterial translocation; epithelial barrier dysfunction; host–microbe interactions; gut microbiota
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MDPI and ACS Style

Vestad, B.; Hanzely, P.; Karaliūtė, I.; Ramberg, O.; Skiecevičienė, J.; Lukoševičius, R.; Bjørnholt, J.V.; Holm, K.; Kupčinskas, J.; Rasmussen, H.; et al. Modulation of Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis in Germ-Free Mice by Enterococcus faecalis Monocolonization. Microorganisms 2025, 13, 2864. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13122864

AMA Style

Vestad B, Hanzely P, Karaliūtė I, Ramberg O, Skiecevičienė J, Lukoševičius R, Bjørnholt JV, Holm K, Kupčinskas J, Rasmussen H, et al. Modulation of Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis in Germ-Free Mice by Enterococcus faecalis Monocolonization. Microorganisms. 2025; 13(12):2864. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13122864

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vestad, Beate, Petra Hanzely, Indrė Karaliūtė, Oda Ramberg, Jurgita Skiecevičienė, Rokas Lukoševičius, Jørgen V. Bjørnholt, Kristian Holm, Juozas Kupčinskas, Henrik Rasmussen, and et al. 2025. "Modulation of Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis in Germ-Free Mice by Enterococcus faecalis Monocolonization" Microorganisms 13, no. 12: 2864. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13122864

APA Style

Vestad, B., Hanzely, P., Karaliūtė, I., Ramberg, O., Skiecevičienė, J., Lukoševičius, R., Bjørnholt, J. V., Holm, K., Kupčinskas, J., Rasmussen, H., Hov, J. R., & Melum, E. (2025). Modulation of Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis in Germ-Free Mice by Enterococcus faecalis Monocolonization. Microorganisms, 13(12), 2864. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13122864

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