Prevention of B220+ T cell expansion and prolongation of lifespan induced byLactobacillus caseiin MRL/lpr mice

Abstract

We examined the therapeutic effect of heat-killed Lactobacillus casei (LC) on MRL/lpr mice. Ingestion of a diet containing 0.05% (w/w) LC from the weaning period prolonged the lifespan and tended to reduce the proportion of B220+ T cells in the spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) of MRL/lpr mice. When LC was intraperitoneally injected once a week after the age of 8 weeks, I-A- macrophages accumulated in the spleen as well as the peritoneum and macrophage progenitors increased in the bone marrow. Moreover, the amount of IL-6 mRNA in peritoneal macrophages was reduced by LC injection. Splenocytes from LC-injected MRL/lpr mice exhibited lower proliferative responses to mitogens than those from control MRL/lpr mice and the increase in number of B220+ T cells in the spleen and MLN was prevented by LC injection. However, LC injection affected neither expression of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and IL-4 mRNAs nor proliferative capacities of splenic T cells. Our findings demonstrate that LC injection accelerates macrophage recruitment and prevents the expansion of B220+ T cells without affecting the functions of T cells in MRL/lpr mice. These immunological modulations induced by LC may lead to prolongation of the lifespan of MRL/lpr mice.

Essential Roles of Monocytes in Stimulating Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells with Lactobacillus casei To Produce Cytokines and Augment Natural Killer Cell Activity

“…Oral administration of L. casei strain Shirota restored NK cell activity in subjects with relatively low NK cell activity (20,24,25), although it remains to be investigated whether L. casei strain Shirota-mediated recovery of NK cell activity was connected with a reduction in cancer incidence (2,12,27). Previous studies using experimental murine models showed that L. casei strain Shirota could prevent infections of pathogenic bacteria and viruses through the activation of innate immune defenses (10,22) and inhibit the development of allergies, autoimmune diseases, and inflammatory bowel diseases, probably through normalizing dysregulated host immune systems (16,19,21,23,34). These immunoregulatory functions of L. casei strain Shirota have not yet been confirmed in humans.…”

Negative Role of Colony-Stimulating Factor-1 in Macrophage, T Cell, and B Cell Mediated Autoimmune Disease in MRL-Fas lpr Mice

“…The splenomegaly characteristic of MRL-Fas lpr autoimmune disease consists of a huge influx of T cells (unique, CD4, CD8), M, and B cells (41)(42)(43)(44). The numbers of T cells (CD4, CD8, B220), M (CD68), and B cells (CD19, B220) are reduced in the spleens from the CSF-1-deficient compared with CSF-1-intact MRL-Fas lpr mice as evaluated by immunostaining (Fig.…”

Flexible cytokine production by macrophages and T cells in response to probiotic bacteria: A possible mechanism by which probiotics exert multifunctional immune regulatory activities

“…22,23 LcS has also been shown to be effective in experimental models of autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, 24 type I diabetes 25 and systemic lupus erythematosus. 26 These multifactorial clinical efficacies suggest the possibility that LcS can not only augment host immune defense against cancer and infection, been used for making fermented dairy products for more than 70 years. Orally ingested LcS can survive gastrointestinal passage, control gut microbiota, and subsequently improve the intestinal environment.…”

“…These findings suggest that LcS would be able to induce anti-inflammatory responses in some cases, especially when administered orally. In order to fully understand the anti-inflammatory activity of LcS shown in clinical studies [19][20][21] and experimental animal models, [24][25][26] further studies should focus on the responses of unique macrophages and dendritic cells in the intestinal lamina propria as well as Peyer's patches.…”