Milk fermented with the probiotic candidate Lactobacillus paracasei FT700 induces differentiation of monocytes toward macrophages in vitro

Single and Co-Cultures of Proteolytic Lactic Acid Bacteria in the Manufacture of Fermented Milk with High ACE Inhibitory and Antioxidant Activities

In this study, single and co-cultures of proteolytic Lactobacillus delberueckii subsp. bulgaricus ORT2, Limosilactobacillus reuteri SRM2 and Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis BRM3 isolated from different raw milk samples were applied as starter cultures to manufacture functional fermented milks. Peptide extracts from fermented milk samples were evaluated after fermentation and 7 days of cold storage for proteolytic, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory and antioxidant activity by different methods including 2, 2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), OH-radical scavenging, and total antioxidant (molybdate-reducing activity). The highest proteolysis was found in milk fermented by co-cultures of three strains. Fermentation with the mentioned bacteria increased ACE inhibitory and antioxidant activity of the final products which were dependent on peptide concentration. The crude peptide extract obtained from fermented milk with triple co-culture showed the highest ACE inhibitory activity (IC50 = 0.61 mg/mL) which was reduced after 7 days of cold storage (IC50 = 0.78 mg/mL). Similar concentration-dependent activities were found in antioxidant activity at different antioxidant assays. Overall, high proteolytic activity resulted in increased ACE inhibitory and antioxidant activities, but the highest activity was not necessarily found for the samples with the highest proteolytic activity. The results of this study suggest the potential of using co-cultures of L. delberueckii subsp. bulgaricus, L. reuteri and L. lactis subsp. Lactis to manufacture antihypertensive fermented milk.

Dairy associations for the targeted control of opportunistic Candida

Antifungal and antibacterial activities of twenty-six combinations of lactic acid bacteria, propionibacteria, acetic acid bacteria and dairy yeasts inoculated in whey and milk were investigated. Associations including acetic acid bacteria were shown to suppress growth of the opportunistic yeast Candida albicans in well-diffusion assays. The protective effect of milk fermented with the two most promising consortia was confirmed in Caco-2 cell culture infected with C. albicans. Indeed, these fermented milks, after heat-treatment or not, suppressed lactate dehydrogenase release after 48 h while significant increase in LDH release was observed in the positive control (C. albicans alone) and with fermented milk obtained using commercial yogurt starter cultures. The analysis of volatile compounds in the cell-free supernatant using solid phase microextraction (SPME) coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) showed accumulation of significant amount of acetic acid by the consortium composed of Lactobacillus delbrueckii 5, Lactobacillus gallinarum 1, Lentilactobacillus parabuchneri 3, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei 33-4, Acetobacter syzygii 2 and Kluyveromyces marxianus 19, which corresponded to the zone of partial inhibition of C. albicans growth during well-diffusion assays. Interestingly, another part of anti-Candida activity, yielding small and transparent inhibition zones, was linked with the consortium cell fraction. This study showed a correlation between anti-Candida activity and the presence of acetic acid bacteria in dairy associations as well as a significant effect of two dairy associations against C. albicans in a Caco-2 cell model. These two associations may be promising consortia for developing functional dairy products with antagonistic action against candidiasis agents.

Milk fermented with Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011 induces a regulatory cytokine profile in LPS-challenged U937 and THP-1 macrophages

Fermented dairy products have become attractive functional foods for the delivery of probiotics and their biologically active metabolites. The aim of this study was to examine the immunomodulatory activity of milk fermented with the probiotic lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011 (LrF) on macrophages challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a potent pro-inflammatory stimulus. To this end, human THP-1 or U937 monocytes were differentiated into resting macrophages then stimulated with LPS and co-incubated with the LrF or with milk controls. Levels of pro-inflammatory and immunoregulatory cytokines were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Culturing of LPS-stimulated U937 macrophages with either the whole or filtered LrF resulted in an increase in Interleukin (IL)-1Ra production relative to the negative control. THP-1 macrophages cultured with the LrF demonstrated an increase in LPS-induced IL-10 and IL-1β production, while production of LPS-induced IL-6, sCD54, IL-8, IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-12p70 and Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β) was unaffected. Further, the LrF induced the expression of DC-SIGN and CD206, markers of immunoregulatory M2 macrophage polarization, in LPS-challenged THP-1 macrophages. Taken together, milk fermented with L. rhamnosus R0011 increased regulatory cytokine production from LPS-challenged U937 and THP-1 macrophages, while simultaneously up-regulating the production of IL-1β and expression of DC-SIGN and CD206, a profile characteristic of polarization into the immunoregulatory M2 macrophage phenotype.

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Milk fermented with Lactobacillus rhamnosus R0011 (Lrf) induces a regulatory macrophage phenotype.

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Modulation of cytokine profiles induced by lipopolysaccharide challenge consistent with an alternatively activated (M2) macrophage phenotype.

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Fermented milk conditioning induced macrophage expression of genes characteristic of M2 macrophage polarization (DC-SIGN and CD206).