Comparing the therapeutic potentials of Lactobacillus johnsonii vs. Lactobacillus acidophilus against vulvovaginal candidiasis in female rats: an in vivo study

Abstract

BackgroundVulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a highly prevalent illness affecting women globally. Lactobacilli, which make up the majority of healthy vaginal microbiota (VMB), serve as a powerful barrier against infections. Probiotic therapy has been recommended for the treatment or prevention of VVC.Aim of workTo compare the in vivo therapeutic effects of Lactobacillus johnsonii (B-2178) vs. Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA-5®) on VVC in a rat model, particularly highlighting the immune response of the host vaginal epithelium.MethodsIn total, 30 female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 5 groups; Group 1: no intervention, Group 2: ovariectomy group, while animals in Groups 3–5 were subjected to ovariectomy and an intravaginal inoculation of Candida albicans (C. albicans) to establish VVC. The animals in Groups 4 and 5 received intravaginal lactobacilli treatment with L. acidophilus (LA-5®) and L. johnsonii (B-2178) strains, respectively, for 7 days. C. albicans load was measured in a vaginal lavage 1, 3, and 7 days after the stoppage of the treatment. Histological, morphometric, and immunohistochemical studies of the vaginal tissues were done. IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-17 were measured in the vaginal tissue.ResultsBoth L. johnsonii and L. acidophilus significantly reduced C. albicans vaginal load (250 ± 77.46 and 133.33 ± 40.82 CFU/mL) compared to the count before treatment in both groups (4,850 ± 1419.51 and 4966.67 ± 852.45 CFU/mL) even after 7 days of stoppage of lactobacilli treatment. A statistically significant reduction of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-17 and IFN-γ was reported in both treated groups compared to the infected untreated group. L. johnsonii has a significant effect on the reduction of hyphae formation of C. albicans as well as the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) immunostaining density of vaginal tissue compared to L. acidophilus. Moreover, treatment with L. johnsonii significantly minimized the epithelium damage triggered by C. albicans infection and restored normal vaginal architecture as evidenced by the histologic and morphometric studies when compared to L. acidophilus.ConclusionThrough maintaining an immune tolerant state in the vaginal epithelium and ameliorating the undesirable uncontrolled inflammatory response in the vaginal tissue, L. johnsonii (B-2178) has the potential to be utilized alone or in combination with other lactobacilli species in probiotic clinical trials to treat or prevent VVC.

Core fucosylation of maternal milk N-glycans imparts early-life immune tolerance through gut microbiota-dependent regulation in RORγt+ Treg cells

“…56,57 Previous studies have reported that L. reuteri and L. johnsonii play a very important role in promoting immune tolerance, especially L. reuteri, in intestinal immune tolerance. [58][59][60] Therefore, we believe that the lack of L. reuteri and L. johnsonii in the gut of the offspring fed by the Fut8 +/− maternal mice is the key reason for their poor immune tolerance. In order to confirm this conjecture, we further supplemented the offspring fed by Fut8 +/− mothers with L. reuteri and L. johnsonii (Fig.…”

Lactobacillus johnsonii and host communication: insight into modulatory mechanisms during health and disease

“…The therapeutic effects of L. johnsonii B-2178 and Lactobacillus acidophilus were tested in a rat model of vulvovaginal candidiasis and observed that both lactobacilli reduced C. albicans vaginal load and hyphae formation and significantly reduced proinflammatory cytokines IL-17 and IFNg. Interestingly, only L. johnsonii B-2178 protected the vaginal mucosa epithelium from histopathological changes (Elfeky et al, 2023), suggesting that the presence of L. johnsonii in the reproductive tract may help to control the growth of pathogens and maintain a healthy environment (Figure 1).…”

The Effects of Lactobacillus johnsonii on Diseases and Its Potential Applications

“…L. johnsonii 6084 alleviated sepsis-induced organ injury by modulating gut microbiota. Vazquez-Munoz et al discovered L. johnsonii had excellent probiotic properties and can prevent or treat mucocutaneous candidiasis [86], especially vulvovaginal candidiasis [87], and that L. johnsonii UBLJ01 is a potential candidate for vaginal probiotics [88]. L. johnsonii has also be found to delay osteoarthritis progression [89] and alleviate the development of acute myocardial infarction [90].…”