Medicine in Microecology · Published 2025-12-03 · DOI 10.1016/j.medmic.2025.100160
Background: Cisplatin, a widely used chemotherapeutic agent, is limited by dose-dependent multi-organ toxicity. Probiotic interventions have recently emerged as promising strategies to alleviate such adverse effects through antioxidative and cytoprotective mechanisms. Methods: This preclinical study evaluated the protective effects of the spore-forming probiotic Bacillus subtilis against cisplatin-induced toxicity in female Wistar rats. Animals were assigned to control, cisplatin-only, probiotic-only, and cisplatin + probiotic groups. Biochemical indices, antioxidant enzyme activities, oxidative stress markers, and histopathological changes were systematically evaluated to determine the therapeutic efficacy of B. subtilis. Results: Cisplatin disrupted hematological indices, altered carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, elevated oxidative stress markers (ROS, MDA), and increased DNA damage (8-OHdG) and apoptosis (caspase-3). B. subtilis supplementation restored antioxidant enzyme activities (CAT, SOD, GPx), reduced oxidative and apoptotic damage, and preserved tissue structure. These protective effects are consistent with modulation of the Nrf2/Keap1 and NF-κB pathways, suggesting enhancement of endogenous antioxidant defenses and suppression of pro-apoptotic signaling. Conclusions: B. subtilis demonstrates potential as a safe, gut-resilient probiotic adjunct to chemotherapy, capable of mitigating systemic toxicity through redox regulation and cytoprotective mechanisms. These findings support further mechanistic and translational studies to validate probiotic-based microecological strategies in oncology care.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
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