The Western blotting analysis was consistent with the qRT-PCR results, at 6 h, the PMECs exposed to E. coli alone had higher NLRP3 protein expression than the untreated control cells and cells only pretreated with L. johnsonii L531 (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001), while L. johnsonii L531 pretreatment followed by E. coli infection resulted in a decrease in NLRP3 protein expression in comparison to the cells only exposed to E. coli (p < 0.001, Figure 3C). This evidence concerns the gene NLRP3 and escherichia coli infection.