We conducted two randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind studies of Lactobacillus plantarum No. 14 (LP14) in female students with seasonal allergic diseases. We also examined the mitogenic activity and cytokine inducibility of LP14 using Peyer's patch cells and mesenteric lymph node cells of swine. For subjects who took 8.7×10(8) of LP14, a significant improvement in ocular symptom-medication score was observed. In the placebo group, the T helper type 1 (Th1)/T helper type 2 (Th2) ratio tended to decrease after a 6-week intake period, while in the LP14 group, the percentage of Th1 cells significantly increased. Post-intake eosinophil counts significantly increased in comparison to those at intake cessation in the placebo group, but it appeared to be suppressed in the LP14 group. There were no changes in fecal microflora. LP14 strongly induced the gene expression of Th1-type cytokines. This study indicates the clinical effects of LP14 on seasonal allergic diseases.

Sex hormones are likely to be involved in sex differences in adipose tissue distribution. To test whether estrogen regulates genes expressed in the adipose tissue in a site-specific manner, we studied the effect of exogenous estradiol on the gene expression in visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues of male ob/ob mice. We screened genes expressed in a site- and sex-specific manner, and genes that were affected by exogenous estradiol by DNA chip analysis. They were verified by real-time PCR. Myosin heavy chain 2B (Myh4) and phosphoglycerate mutase muscle-specific subunit (Pgam) were expressed specifically in the subcutaneous adipose tissue, and uroplakin IIIb (UP3) was expressed specifically in the visceral adipose tissue. DEAD-box Y RNA helicase (DBY) and eukaryotic initiation factor 2 gamma Y (eIF2gamma Y) were expressed only in male adipose tissue. X-chromosome inactive specific transcript (Xist) was expressed only in female adipose tissue. When estradiol was subcutaneously administrated to male mice, the expression of monocyte-chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and androgen receptor (AR) genes was regulated in a site-specific manner. The difference in the amount of estrogen receptor did not account for the site-specific effect of estrogen. Our findings show that estrogen affects the expression of some adipocyte genes in a site-specific manner.

This study aimed to assess variations in the human gastrointestinal transit tolerance of Lactobacillus plantarum strain No. 14 after culture with glucose and with fructose. Transit tolerance was determined at 37 degrees C against simulated gastric juices at pH values of 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5, and against simulated small intestinal juices containing 0%, 0.2%, or 0.4% oxgall. The simulated gastrointestinal transit tolerance of Lactobacillus plantarum strain No. 14 varied with the carbon source. Hence we compared the amounts of exopolysaccharide from Lactobacillus plantarum strain No. 14 cultured in various carbon sources. The exopolysaccharide levels were 146.5+/-8.1 mg/l (culture) with glucose, and 20.1+/-17.0 mg/l (culture) with fructose. When exopolysaccharide was removed by centrifugation, the simulated gastric tolerance of Lactobacillus plantarum strain No. 14 cultured with glucose decreased markedly, but that with fructose did not decrease. These results suggest that the gastrointestinal transit tolerance of Lactobacillus plantarum strain No. 14 is related to exopolysaccharide contents.

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Brain by Sodium Fluoride in Vitro Tab. 1 Mean Body and Organ Weight of Rats Sacrificed after Single Dose of NaF (50mg/kg)