Probiotic Mitigates High Fat Diet‐Induced Mammary Gland Inflammation and Matrix Remodeling

Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory condition about which little is known. HS results from occlusion of the apocrine sweat glands of the skin. The blocked follicles will become inflamed, swell, and burst, leaving scar tissue after lesional skin heals. As the disease progresses, tracts develop beneath the skin, which connect lesional areas to new regions. MMP activity is elevated in lesional, perilesional, and tract biopsies. Obesity is known to exacerbate the condition, while the mechanism is unknown. A High Fat Diet (HFD) causes gut dysbiosis and we hypothesize that this shift in the microbiome leads to an increase in circulating inflammatory cytokines and inflammation in the mammary gland (MG), a modified apocrine gland. Mice fed a HFD showed elevated inflammatory cytokines in serum and MG tissue. MMP activity was increased in mice fed a HFD compared to normal diet (ND), but was mitigated when given probiotic (PB). MMP inhibitors such as TIMP‐3 were significantly over expressed in the HFD+PB group. Administration of probiotic and restoration of the gut microflora has a protective effect against inflammation caused by a HFD.Support or Funding InformationResearch supported by NIH grants HL74185, HL139047, and AR‐71789.