The adjunctive use of Bifidobacterium Quadruple Viable Bacteria with interferon in pediatric acute enteritis: inhibition of gut hormones, pain mediators, and systemic inflammation.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the adjunctive efficacy of Bifidobacterium Quadruple Viable Bacteria combined with recombinant human interferon α1b in pediatric acute enteritis (PAE). METHODS: This retrospective propensity score matching (PSM) analysis included children aged 1-6 years with PAE admitted from March 2024 to March 2025. Patients receiving conventional therapy alone were assigned to the control group, while those receiving Bifidobacterium Quadruple Viable Bacteria plus recombinant human interferon α1b on the basis of conventional therapy were assigned to the observation group. A total of 128 children were included, with 64 cases in each group. Serum gut hormones, intestinal barrier markers, pain mediators, inflammatory factors, and oxidative stress indicators were compared before and after treatment. RESULTS: After treatment, the observation group showed greater reductions in motilin and gastrin and a more marked increase in somatostatin than the control group. Substance P (SP) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were also lower in the observation group, indicating reduced pain mediator release. In addition, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) declined more prominently, while superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) increased and malondialdehyde (MDA) decreased more substantially, suggesting alleviation of systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. CONCLUSION: In this retrospective PSM analysis, Bifidobacterium Quadruple Viable Bacteria combined with interferon α1b improved gut hormone balance, intestinal barrier function, pain-related mediators, inflammatory responses, and oxidative stress in PAE.