H.pylori Infection Alleviates Acute and Chronic Colitis with the Expansion of Regulatory B Cells in Mice

Epidemiological studies showed that there was an inverse relationship between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and the incidence of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Our previous research indicated that the regulatory immune responses induced by H. pylori infection were not limited to gastric mucosa, and the balance of intestinal mucosal immunity was influenced. In this study, mice were infected with H. pylori SS1, and then colitis was induced by 3% dextran sulphate sodium (DSS), to investigate the role of the regulatory B cells in the effects of H. pylori infection on acute and chronic colitis. In acute and chronic colitis groups, DAI and colonic histological scores reduced significantly and colon length shorted less, the proinflammatory cytokines mRNA expression downregulated in colonic mucosa, and the percentages of CD19⁺IL-10⁺Breg cells were higher in the H. pylori/DSS co-treated groups compared with the DSS-treated groups. Our study suggests that H. pylori infection can alleviate the acute and chronic colitis induced by DSS, and CD19⁺IL-10⁺Breg cells may play a critical role in the alleviation of acute and chronic colitis following H. pylori infection.