In a previous clinical study, a probiotic formulation (PF) consisting of Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175 (PF) decreased stress-induced gastrointestinal discomfort. Emerging evidence of a role for gut microbiota on central nervous system functions therefore suggests that oral intake of probiotics may have beneficial consequences on mood and psychological distress. The aim of the present study was to investigate the anxiolytic-like activity of PF in rats, and its possible effects on anxiety, depression, stress and coping strategies in healthy human volunteers. In the preclinical study, rats were daily administered PF for 2 weeks and subsequently tested in the conditioned defensive burying test, a screening model for anti-anxiety agents. In the clinical trial, volunteers participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised parallel group study with PF administered for 30 d and assessed with the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL-90), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Perceived Stress Scale, the Coping Checklist (CCL) and 24 h urinary free cortisol (UFC). Daily subchronic administration of PF significantly reduced anxiety-like behaviour in rats (P,0·05) and alleviated psychological distress in volunteers, as measured particularly by the HSCL-90 scale (global severity index, P, 0·05; somatisation, P, 0·05; depression, P, 0·05; and anger-hostility, P,0·05), the HADS (HADS global score, P, 0·05; and HADSanxiety, P,0·06), and by the CCL (problem solving, P, 0·05) and the UFC level (P,0·05). L. helveticus R0052 and B. longum R0175 taken in combination display anxiolytic-like activity in rats and beneficial psychological effects in healthy human volunteers.

I n a recent clinical study, we demonstrated in the general population that Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175 (PF) taken in combination for 30 days decreased the global scores of hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADs), and the global severity index of the Hopkins symptoms checklist (HSCL-90), due to the decrease of the sub-scores of somatization, depression and angerhostility spheres. Therefore, oral intake of PF showed beneficial effects on anxiety and depression related behaviors in human volunteers. From there, it is interesting to focus on the role of this probiotic formulation in the subjects with the lowest urinary free cortisol levels at baseline. This addendum presents a secondary analysis of the effects of PF in a subpopulation of 25 subjects with urinary free cortisol (UFC) levels less than 50 ng/ml at baseline, on psychological distress based on the percentage of change of the perceived stress scale (PSs), the HADs and the HSCL-90 scores between baseline and follow-up. The data show that PF improves the same scores as in the general population (the HADs global score, the global severity index of the HSCL-90 and three of its sub-scores, i.e., somatization, depression and anger-hostility), as well as the PSs score and three other subscores of the HSCL-90, i.e., "obsessive compulsive," "anxiety" and "paranoidideation." Moreover, in the HSCL-90, Beneficial psychological effects of a probiotic formulation (Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175) in healthy human volunteers

Mammalian zinc ectopeptidases play important roles in turning off neural and hormonal peptide signals at the cell surface, notably those processing sensory information. We report here the discovery of a previously uncharacterized physiological inhibitor of enkephalininactivating zinc ectopeptidases in humans, which we have named Opiorphin. It is a QRFSR peptide that inhibits two enkephalin-catabolizing ectoenzymes, human neutral ecto-endopeptidase, hNEP (EC 3.4.24.11), and human ecto-aminopeptidase, hAP-N (EC 3.4.11.2). Opiorphin displays potent analgesic activity in chemical and mechanical pain models by activating endogenous opioid-dependent transmission. Its function is closely related to the rat sialorphin peptide, which is an inhibitor of pain perception and acts by potentiating endogenous -and ␦-opioid receptor-dependent enkephalinergic pathways. Here we demonstrate the functional specificity in vivo of human Opiorphin. The pain-suppressive potency of Opiorphin is as effective as morphine in the behavioral rat model of acute mechanical pain, the pin-pain test. Thus, our discovery of Opiorphin is extremely exciting from a physiological point of view in the context of endogenous opioidergic pathways, notably in modulating mood-related states and pain sensation. Furthermore, because of its in vivo properties, Opiorphin may have therapeutic implications.dual neutral endopeptidase͞aminopeptidase N inhibitor ͉ human saliva ͉ pain ͉ peptide mediator ͉ enkephalins Z inc metal ectopeptidases control the receptor-dependent activity of neural and hormonal mediators involved in the regulation of important physiological functions in mammals. They are located at the surface of cells in nervous and systemic tissues and catalyze postsecretory processing or metabolism of neuropeptides and regulatory peptides (1, 2). Prominent among these neuronal and͞or hormonal peptide signals are substance P (SP) and enkephalins, which are implicated in the receptor-dependent modulation of behavioral adaptive responses to stressful or threatening environmental stimuli. They notably regulate spinal processing of nociceptive information and analgesic mechanisms, emotional and͞or motivational responses, anxiety, aggression, and neuroimmune inflammatory phenomena (3-6).Because of the physiological importance and the critical role of zinc ectopeptidases in modulating the functional potency of downstream neuronal and hormonal signals, it is essential to focus on what controls their activity and, as a consequence, the overall regulatory cascade. The discovery of upstream regulators of ectopeptidase activity also is exciting from physiopathological and therapeutic points of view because of the potential for developing new candidate drugs. A brain-specific heptapeptide named spinorphin was isolated and characterized from bovine spinal cord based on its inhibitory activity toward enkephalin-degrading ectoenzymes, such as neutral endopeptidase (NEP; EC 3.4.24.11) and aminopeptidase N (AP-N; EC 3.4.11.2) (7,8). In addition, we characterized rat sial...

Although performances appeared to be only remotely related to blood glucose, our data provide evidence that a low GI breakfast allows better cognitive performances later in the morning.

Sialorphin is an exocrine and endocrine signaling mediator, which has been identified by a genomic approach. It is synthesized predominantly in the submandibular gland and prostate of adult rats in response to androgen steroids and is released locally and systemically in response to stress. We now demonstrate that the cell surface molecule to which sialorphin binds in vivo in the rat kidney is the membrane-anchored neutral endopeptidase (neprilysin; NEP, EC 3.4.24.11). NEP plays an important role in nervous and peripheral tissues, as it turns off several peptide-signaling events at the cell surface. We show that sialorphin prevents spinal and renal NEP from breaking down its two physiologically relevant substrates, substance P and Met-enkephalin in vitro. Sialorphin inhibited the breakdown of substance P with an IC50 of 0.4 -1 M and behaved as a competitive inhibitor. In vivo, i.v. sialorphin elicited potent antinociceptive responses in two behavioral rat models of injury-induced acute and tonic pain, the pin-pain test and formalin test. The analgesia induced by 100 -200 g͞kg doses of sialorphin required the activation of -and ␦-opioid receptors, consistent with the involvement of endogenous opioid receptors in enkephalinergic transmission. We conclude that sialorphin protects endogenous enkephalins released after nociceptive stimuli by inhibiting NEP in vivo. Sialorphin is a natural systemically active regulator of NEP activity. Furthermore, our study provides evidence that it is a physiological modulator of pain perception after injury and might be the progenitor of a new class of therapeutic molecules.

Numerous studies have indicated that increased vulnerability to oxidative stress may be the main factor involved in functional declines during normal and pathological ageing, and that antioxidant agents, such as polyphenols, may improve or prevent these deficits. We examined whether 1-year administration of a cocoa polyphenolic extract (Acticoa powder), orally delivered at the dose of 24 mg/kg per d between 15 and 27 months of age, affects the onset of age-related cognitive deficits, urinary free dopamine levels and lifespan in old Wistar-Unilever rats. Acticoa powder improved cognitive performances in light extinction and water maze paradigms, increased lifespan and preserved high urinary free dopamine levels. These results suggest that Acticoa powder may be beneficial in retarding age-related brain impairments, including cognitive deficits in normal ageing and perhaps neurodegenerative diseases. Further studies are required to elucidate the mechanisms of cocoa polyphenols in neuroprotection and to explore their effects in man.

On the basis of blood pressure and cortisol changes, these results suggest an antistress profile of this alphaS1-casein hydrolysate in human subjects.

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