The Effects of Single Strains and Mixtures of Probiotic Bacteria on Immune Profile in Liver, Spleen, and Peripheral Blood

Abstract

Probiotic bacteria have potential use as immunomodulators but comparative data on their immunological effects are very limited. The aim of this study was to characterize the effect of oral administration of probiotic strains, alone or as mixtures, on systemic and organ-specific immune responses. For this purpose, healthy C57BL/6 mice were perorally administered probiotics for 3 weeks. A total of five common probiotic strains, Lactobacillus rhamnosus species GG (LGG) and LC705, Bifidobacterium breve 99 (Bb99), Propionibacterium freudenreichii Shermanii JS (PJS), and Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN), and two of their mixtures, were tested. Livers, spleens, and blood were collected for investigation. A number of five treatments increased the abundance of the natural killer (NK) cells. Bb99 had the most prominent effect on hepatic NK cells (20.0 ± 1.8%). LGG (liver: 5.8 ± 1.0%; spleen: 1.6 ± 0.4%), Bb99 (liver: 13.9 ± 4.3%; spleen: 10.3 ± 3.7%), and EcN (liver: 8.5 ± 3.2%; spleen: 1.0 ± 0.2%) increased the percentage of both the hepatic and splenic T-helper 17 cells. Moreover, LGG (85.5 ± 3.0%) and EcN (89.6 ± 1.2%) increased the percentage of splenic regulatory T-cells. The tested mixtures of the probiotics had different immunological effects from their individual components on cell-mediated responses and cytokine production. In conclusion, our results confirm that the immunomodulatory potential of the probiotics is strain- and organ/tissue-specific, and the effects of probiotic mixtures cannot be predicted based on their single constituents.

Effect of humic acid and probiotics on immunity of broiler chickens

“…Spleen/body weight (%) was also not altered due to probiotics and humic acid in our study. This result is in agreement with Fong et al . (2022) who found no significant effects of probiotics bacteria on the spleen and liver weights after the treatment as compared to the control group in mice.…”

Gut–Brain Interactions and Their Impact on Astrocytes in the Context of Multiple Sclerosis and Beyond

“…This approach could prove highly advantageous because it provides the opportunity to selectively modulate a dysregulated pathway with profound implications in the context of MS. However, it is important to note that one probiotic bacterial strain may vary when administered independently compared to when it is administered in combination with other probiotic bacteria [ 203 ]. In summary, the beneficial effects of probiotic substitution need to be considered and validated in a complex environment involving multiple probiotics and the endogenous microbiome [ 203 , 204 ].…”

Trends and challenges for the application of probiotic lactic acid bacteria in functional foods

“…The effect of a single strain or multiple strains of probiotics on human health has been the topic of some studies. As an example, the effects of single strains and mixtures of probiotic bacteria on the immune profile in liver, spleen, and peripheral blood of C57BL/6 mice were studied by FONG et al (2022). Healthy mice received orally the probiotics Lc.…”