Enhancement of natural and acquired immunity byLactobacillus rhamnosus(HN001),Lactobacillus acidophilus(HN017) andBifidobacterium lactis(HN019)

Abstract

Consumption of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) has been suggested to confer a range of health benefits including stimulation of the immune system and increased resistance to malignancy and infectious illness. In the present study, the effects of feeding Lactobacillus rhamnosus (HN001, DR20 TM ), Lactobacillus acidophilus (HN017) and Bifidobacterium lactis (HN019, DR10 TM ) on in vivo and in vitro indices of natural and acquired immunity in healthy mice were examined. Mice were fed daily with L. rhamnosus, L. acidophilus or B. lactis (10 9 colony forming units) and their immune function was assessed on day 10 or day 28. Supplementation with L. rhamnosus, L. acidophilus or B. lactis resulted in a significant increase in the phagocytic activity of peripheral blood leucocytes and peritoneal macrophages compared with the control mice. The proliferative responses of spleen cells to concanavalin A (a T-cell mitogen) and lipopolysaccharide (a B-cell mitogen) were also significantly enhanced in mice given different LAB. Spleen cells from mice given L. rhamnosus, L. acidophilus or B. lactis also produced significantly higher amounts of interferon-g in response to stimulation with concanavalin A than cells from the control mice. LAB feeding had no significant effect on interleukin-4 production by spleen cells or on the percentages of CD4 + , CD8 + and CD40 + cells in the blood. The serum antibody responses to orally and systemically administered antigens were also significantly enhanced by supplementation with L. rhamnosus, L. acidophilus or B. lactis. Together, these results suggest that supplementation of the diet with L. rhamnosus (HN001), L. acidophilus (HN017) or B. lactis (HN019) is able to enhance several indices of natural and acquired immunity in healthy mice.

Probiotic Bacterium Prevents Cytokine-induced Apoptosis in Intestinal Epithelial Cells

“…It is possible that other commensal organisms with potential probiotic activity (6,30,36,37) could prevent cytokine-induced apoptosis. Although some of those we tested reduced apoptosis, none were as effective as LGG, and LGG appeared unique in its ability to block p38 MAP kinase activation.…”

“…Probiotics, as described by Lilly and Stillwell (4), are living microorganisms with low or no pathogenicity that exert beneficial effects on the health of the host. In human clinical trials the non-pathogenic Gram-positive commensal Lactobacilli found in the human and mouse gastrointestinal tracts have been considered as probiotics with beneficial health effects, including enhanced lymphocyte proliferation (5), innate and acquired immunity (6), and anti-inflammatory cytokine production (7). Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), 1 a bacterium used in the production of yogurt, is one of the best-studied probiotic bacteria in clinical trials.…”

Perioperative synbiotic treatment to prevent infectious complications in patients after elective living donor liver transplantation: a prospective randomized study

“…These functions might all be important for reduction of infections in surgical patients. However, definite mechanism regarding the reduction of urinary tract infection should await further investigation 3,25,29,30). …”

Lactic acid bacteria, probiotics and immune system

“…e proliferative responses of spleen cells to concavalin A and lipopolysaccharide were significantly enhanced in mice given different LAB. ese cells also produced significantly higher amounts of interferon- in response to stimulation with concavalin A (Gill et al, 2000). Bloksma et al (1979) showed that a viable strain of Lactobacillus plantarum applied intraperitoneally to a mouse stimulated the delayed type of hypersensitivity and non-viable bacteria had an adjuvant effect.…”