Lactobacillus acidophilus 74-2 and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp lactis DGCC 420 modulate unspecific cellular immune response in healthy adults

Abstract

Objective: It was determined whether a combination of Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus) 74-2 and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp lactis DGCC 420 (B. lactis 420) affect the faecal microbiota as well as immunological parameters and blood lipids in healthy adults. Design: A placebo-controlled, double-blinded, randomized crossover trial was conducted. Subjects: Twenty-six healthy volunteers (mean age 25 years) were recruited by advertising in academical buildings. All of them completed the study. Methods: After 3-week run-in period, half of the volunteers consumed 300 g/day of yoghurt supplement containing probiotic strains L. acidophilus 74-2 and B. lactis 420, and the other half received the placebo product for a period of 5 weeks. The two groups were crossed during the following 5-week period. Blood and faecal samples were collected at the end of each period. The faecal content of probiotic bacteria, faecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), serum lipids and plasma immune system biomarkers were evaluated. Results: Faecal proportions of L. acidophilus and of B. lactis increased significantly from 0.02 to 0.19 and 0.4 to 1.4% (Po0.05), respectively. Percentages of granulocytes and monocytes showing phagocytic activity were significantly elevated from 92 to 95% during probiotic intervention, whereas their oxidative burst activity and specific immune parameters remained unaffected. Fecal SCFA and serum cholesterol levels were not influenced by the probiotics. However, serum concentrations of triacylglyceroles decreased significantly by 11.6% (Po0.05) in the probiotic supplementation period. Conclusions: L. acidophilus and B. lactis were recovered in faeces in significantly elevated numbers after supplementation. They are able to modulate unspecific cellular immune response indicated by the increased phagocytic activity.

Probiotics and immunity

“…Increases in NK activity have been observed after supplementation with L. casei Shirota, [159][160][161] 167 or a combination of those two strains with L. paracasei Lpc-37. 168 Interestingly, a similar mixture, but consisting of different strains (B. animalis ssp.…”

Probiotic intervention has strain-specific anti-inflammatory effects in healthy adults

“…The immunomodulatory effects of probiotics have mostly been studied in certain disease conditions, such as allergies [2] and inflammatory diseases [3,4] , though the general, healthy population mostly consumes probiotics. The immunomodulatory effects of probiotics in healthy populations have not been fully established and only a few randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled studies have addressed this question [5][6][7][8][9] . Also, there are few studies where the effects of different…”

A Randomized Double-blind Controlled Trial of Lactobacillus acidophilus Plus Bifidobacterium bifidum versus Placebo in Patients with Hypercholesterolemia

“…Patients in the probiotic group had a significant decrease in TC levels during treatment, while TC levels in the control group actually increased during treatment. Both animal [8][9][10][11][12] and human [12,14,[16][17][18][19][20] studies have corroborated these findings, with a small number of studies showing no benefit with probiotics [13,15].These studies varied in type of probiotics administered, dosage, formulation (in foods or in capsules, single or mixed probiotics), and clinical setting (hypercholesterolemic patients or healthy individuals with normal cholesterol levels) [21]. A metaanalysis showed that probiotics decreased total cholesterol and LDL-C levels in patients with high and normal cholesterol levels, and had no significant effect on triglyceride levels [23], similar to our findings.This meta-analysis did not find any improvement in HDL-C levels associated with probiotics treatment, also similar to our findings.…”

“…Several animal studies have demonstrated the efficacy of probiotics, in the form of fermented milk or specific strains of lactic acid bacteria, in lowering cholesterol [8][9][10][11][12]. Studies in humans have had conflicting results [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. There is no study using the combination of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum as probiotics for lowering blood cholesterol.…”