Antitumor activity of Bifidobacterium spp. isolated from a healthy Korean

A novel procedure for the isolation of glycolipids from Bifidobacterium adolescentis 94 BIM using supercritical carbon dioxide

This study describes a novel isolation procedure for major glycolipids from Bifidobacterium adolescentis 94 BIM. The procedure consists of the use of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO(2)) with hydro-methanolic solution as co-solvent. The major glycolipids were isolated using the following operating conditions: pressure, 30 MPa, co-solvent concentration, 10% (9:1, methanol/water, v/v), CO(2) flow rate, 5 g/min, extraction time and temperature, 2h and 55 degrees C, respectively. The reference glycolipids sample was prepared by classical organic solvent extraction followed by chromatographic purification. All isolates were characterized by TLC and the major glycolipids additionally by enzyme linked immunosorbent (ELISA). Sixty milligrams of glycolipids with similar immunoreactivity as the reference glycolipids were isolated from 1g of freeze-dried biomass (6% of yield).

Bacteria as tumour-targeting vectors

Live bacteria were first actively used in the treatment of cancer nearly 150 years ago, work that ultimately led to the study of immunomodulation. Today, with the discovery of bacterial strains that specifically target tumours, and aided by genomic sequencing and genetic engineering, there is new interest in the use of bacteria as tumour vectors. Bifodobacterium, Clostridium, and Salmonella have all been shown to preferentially replicate within solid tumours when injected from a distal site, and all three types of bacteria have been used to transport and amplify genes encoding factors such as prodrug-converting enzymes, toxins, angiogenesis inhibitors, and cytokines. In this review we provide a historical discussion of this area, and describe the development of the bacteria, which are currently being prepared for use in clinical trials in patients with cancer.