No abstract

Microencapsulation technology can be used to improve the probiotic viability under stress condition in the human gastrointestinal tract and during storage. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of encapsulation materials on the survival of GABA-producing probiotics using alginate containing cassava starch nanocrystals under simulated gastrointestinal conditions and shelf storage. Lactobacillus brevis ST-69, GABAproducing probiotic strain, was isolated from kimchi and encapsulated using emulsion technique. The GABA activity, encapsulation efficiency, morphology, probiotic viability were evaluated. The encapsulation efficiency using emulsion technique was 89.72%. Probiotic encapsulated in alginate-nanocrystalline starch gel capsules showed high survival rate at 94.97% of probiotic cells under simulated gastrointestinal conditions and during long-life storage at 4 °C compared to free cells. Results showed that for improving the viability of probiotics against gastrointestinal and storage conditions, complex materials with nanocrystalline starch might be a better encapsulating matrix for the preparation of gel capsules.

Probiotics have been shown to possess several properties, depending on the strain. Some probiotics have important roles in preventing infection and balancing the immune system due to the interaction between the intestinal mucosa and cells in the immune system. This study aimed to examine the properties of three probiotic strains using the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) inhibition test in colorectal adenocarcinoma cells (Caco-2 cells). It was revealed that the viable cells and heat-killed cells of the probiotic L. paracasei strain MSMC39-1 dramatically suppressed TNF-α secretion in Caco-2 cells. The strongest strains were then chosen to treat rats with colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). Viable cells of the probiotic L. paracasei strain MSMC39-1 reduced aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase in the serum and significantly inhibited TNF-α secretion in the colon and liver tissues. Treatment with the probiotic L. paracasei strain MSMC39-1 alleviated the colon and liver histopathology in DSS-induced colitis rats. Furthermore, supplementation with probiotic L. paracasei strain MSMC39-1 increased the genus Lactobacillus and boosted the other beneficial bacteria in the gut. Thus, the probiotic L. paracasei strain MSMC39-1 exhibited an anti-inflammation effect in the colon and modulated the gut microbiota.

Probiotics are good microbiota which are able to promote the health of host immunomodulation. In this study, we prepared four antigens of Lactobacillus paracasei MSMC39-1 for the detection of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) secretion in hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (HepG-2). We found that viable cells and heat-killed cells of L. paracasei MSMC39-1 exhibited strong TNF-α secretion inhibitors. Viable cells of L. paracasei MSMC39-1 treatment significantly reduced serum level of aspartate aminotransferase in hepatitis rats. TNF-α secretion in liver tissues of hepatitis rats in probiotic L. paracasei MSMC39-1 treatment was significantly suppressed. Liver histopathology examination of alcohol-induced hepatitis indicated fat accumulation in the hepatocytes. Interestingly, liver damage in hepatitis rats was improved by probiotic L. paracasei MSMC39-1. In addition, L. paracasei MSMC39-1 alleviated colon inflammation in alcohol-induced hepatitis rats. Administration of L. paracasei MSMC39-1 modulated gut microbiota by increasing the number of genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium in alcohol-induced hepatitis rats. We conclude that L. paracasei MSMC39-1 has potent anti-inflammatory effects on HepG-2 cell line and improves hepatitis, colon inflammation, and modulates gut microbiota. Thus L. paracasei MSMC39-1 is able to protect against alcoholic hepatitis. It can also be used as an alternative treatment in other inflammation diseases and applied in nutraceutical and dietary supplement products.