Probiotic and anti-inflammatory attributes of an isolate Lactobacillus helveticus NS8 from Mongolian fermented koumiss

Abstract

BackgroundKoumiss is a traditionally fermented mare’s milk described with health-promoting potentials for decades. However, only a few studies focused on the probiotic strains isolated from koumiss. In this study, we collected koumiss samples from Inner Mongolian pasturing area of China and selected a promising strain of Lactobacillus helveticus, isolate NS8, based on the survival abilities in gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and adhesion to intestinal endothelial cells in vitro. As the ability to positively modulate host immune response is a feature of increasing importance in measuring the probiotic potential of a bacterial strain, our study mainly focus on the immunomodulatory properties of L. helveticus NS8 by using in vivo and ex vivo analyses.ResultsL. helveticus NS8 was identified by molecular-typing methods, both at genus and species levels. As a typical food niche-specific bacteria, NS8 showed a moderate survival ability in GIT environment in vitro. However, an excellent binding capacity to the human intestinal epithelial cells, along with significant autoaggregation and cell-surface hydrophobicity was observed. Additionally, the presence of S-layer protein was responsible for the cell surface properties of this strain. NS8 was found to be rather protective against TNBS (2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid)-induced murine colitis. In the meantime, co-culture with NS8 induced an increased level of secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in peripheral blood mono-nuclear cells (PBMCs). Furthermore, NS8 was also able to diminish the proinflammatory effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mouse macrophage cell line RAW264.7 by inducing higher levels of IL-10. Specially, adding of the purified S-layer protein didn’t influence the production of IL-10. The specific ligand-host receptor interactions on the NS8 specific immune responses need to be learned further.ConclusionIn summary, L. helveticus NS8 exhibited good probiotic and particularly immunomodulatory properties, with a potential for development of functional food commercially or therapeutic adjuvant for inflammatory diseases.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12866-015-0525-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Identification of proteins involved in the anti-inflammatory properties of Propionibacterium freudenreichii by means of a multi-strain study

“…Therefore, not all the S-layer proteins of lactobacilli are anti-inflammatory. For example, in L. helveticus NS8, the S-layer protein was not found to exert any anti-inflammatory properties after extraction29. Other studies identified different cell wall components as being mediators of the anti-inflammatory properties of bacterial strains, such as the peptidoglycan in Lactobacillus salivarius Ls3330, or teichoic acids in Lactobacillus plantarum NCIMB882631.…”

Single probiotic supplement suppresses colitis‐associated colorectal tumorigenesis by modulating inflammatory development and microbial homeostasis

“…When NS8 adhered to the Caco‐2 monolayer, the LPS‐induced increase in IL‐8, a typical transcriptional target of NF‐κB, was also reduced. In our previous study, we observed the good binding property of NS8 to Caco‐2 cells and revealed that this affinity is associated with the presence of surface layer (S‐layer) protein in the cell wall of NS8 lactobacilli . In another report, the S‐layer of L. helveticus MIMLh5 was reported to act as an immune modulator to protect against inflammatory stimuli …”

“…In our previous study, we observed the good binding property of NS8 to Caco-2 cells and revealed that this affinity is associated with the presence of surface layer (S-layer) protein in the cell wall of NS8 lactobacilli. 13 In another report, the S-layer of L. helveticus MIMLh5 was reported to act as an immune modulator to protect against inflammatory stimuli. 25 In our study, we found that IL-17-producing T cells were the most sensitive to anti-inflammatory modulation by NS8.…”

“…A number of publications have reported the use of probiotics in the chemoprevention of CRC, despite conflicting results . In our previous studies, Lactobacillus helveticus NS8 showed colitis‐attenuating activity, which was suggested to be associated with the induction of the cytokine IL‐10 . Thus, we wondered whether NS8 exerts anti‐carcinogenic effects on primary CRC and whether this protective effect is caused by the modulation of the inflammatory environment in the gastrointestinal tract and the intestinal microbiota.…”

Antioxidative properties of milk protein preparations fermented by Polish strains of Lactobacillus helveticus

“…This might lead to some phenotype and genotype differences among strains. It has been shown that even biotypes isolated from the same niche are greatly various, and many of the technological properties indicated by the bacteria are strain-dependent (Gatti et al, 2014;Griffiths and Tellez, 2013;Rong et al, 2015). An analysis of the strains' variability may lead to the discovery of new bacteria strains with desirable characteristics exhibiting a wide range of potential applications in food biotechnology and food production, and therefore influencing greater food product safety.…”