Likewise, increased intestinal Foxp3+ Tregs following administration of L. reuteri strain DSM-17938 was suggested to confer protection against NEC by decreasing the mRNA and protein abundance of Il6, Tnf, Tlr4 and Nfkb, while increasing anti-inflammatory Il10 in the intestine of NEC-affected rats (Table 2) [255]. Here, IL6 is linked to necrotizing enterocolitis.