Effects of a synbiotic product on blood antioxidative activity in subjects colonized with Helicobacter pylori

Limosilactobacillus fermentum CECT5716: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Insights

Probiotics microorganisms exert their health-associated activities through some of the following general actions: competitive exclusion, enhancement of intestinal barrier function, production of bacteriocins, improvement of altered microbiota, and modulation of the immune response. Among them, Limosilactobacillus fermentum CECT5716 has become one of the most promising probiotics and it has been described to possess potential beneficial effects on inflammatory processes and immunological alterations. Different studies, preclinical and clinical trials, have evidenced its anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties and elucidated the precise mechanisms of action involved in its beneficial effects. Therefore, the aim of this review is to provide an updated overview of the effect on host health, mechanisms, and future therapeutic approaches.

The effects of probiotic/synbiotic supplementation compared to placebo on biomarkers of oxidative stress in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

During the last decades, there has been a burst of scientific literature hypothesizing the antioxidant effect of probiotics. However, the results of these studies are inconsistent and a final conclusion has yet to be reached. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the effects of probiotic/synbiotic supplementation on serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC), glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) levels in adults.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The following online databases were searched until August 26th 2020: PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Clarivate Analytics Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Science Direct, Google Scholar and Igaku Chuo Zasshi. The effect sizes were expressed as the weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). A total of 31 eligible trials with 1681 participants (839 cases and 842 controls) were included in this meta-analysis. The results revealed that the supplementation with probiotics/synbiotics, significantly increased serum TAC (WMD: 54.14 mmol/L, 95% CI: 27.87, 80.40, P < 0.001), GSH (WMD: 40.38 μmol/L, 95% CI: 20.72, 60.03, P < 0.001) and NO (WMD: 3.54 μmol/L, 95% CI: 1.73, 5.34, P < 0.001) levels. In addition, MDA levels were significantly reduced (WMD: -0.45 μmol/L, 95% CI: -0.58,-0.32, P < 0.001) following probiotic/synbiotic supplementation. None of the variables showed a significant change in the sensitivity analysis.

CONCLUSION

Available evidence suggests that probiotic/synbiotic supplementation can significantly increase serum TAC, GSH and NO, as well as reduce MDA levels in adults. Therefore, probiotic/synbiotic supplementation may play a role in improving antioxidant indices and reducing oxidative stress in the body.

Viability of 4 Probiotic Bacteria Microencapsulated with Arrowroot Starch in the Simulated Gastrointestinal Tract (GIT) and Yoghurt

Probiotic bacteria are usually encapsulated to increase their survival through passage of the simulated gastrointestinal tract (GIT). Four Lactobacilli were freeze-dried and encapsulated with maltodextrin (maltodextrin 1.25 g, whey 0.25 g, bacteria 0.5 g, and water 2 mL) and arrowroot starch (arrowroot 1.25 g, whey 0.25 g, bacteria 0.5 g, and water 2 mL). The effects of different coatings were evaluated for their viability in the GIT and yogurt. The findings indicated no significant differences at p > 0.05 in the survival of the encapsulated cells with increased concentrations of arrowroot and maltodextrin. The viability of the encapsulated bacteria was increased in the simulated GIT with high counts of 10⁹ cfu/mL after 30 min stiffening in 1 µm size beads. However, the bead fermented yogurt exhibited insignificant difference on the survivability of the organisms in a simulated GIT after 15 days. Lactobacillusplantarum, Weisselaparamesenteroides, Enterococcusfaecalis, and Lactobacillusparaplantarum showed a significant increase of viable cells at p > 0.05 after freeze-drying in comparison with free cells at high bile salt concentrations and low acidity. This study confirmed that arrowroot starch and maltodextrin combinations in encapsulation might be an effective method that could allow viable probiotic bacteria to reach the large intestine.

Preparation, characterization and in vitro antioxidative potential of synbiotic fermented dairy products

The present study, evaluates the antioxidative potential of two synbiotic dairy products viz. synbiotic lassi with honey and whey based synbiotic drink with inulin and orange juice, along with their physicochemical and microbiological activity during storage period. Antioxidative potential of raw ingredients and probiotic cultures used to prepare synbiotic products was also evaluated. Synbiotic lassi with honey was prepared using Streptococcus thermophilus MTCC 5460 (MD2) and Lactobacillus helveticus MTCC 5463 (V3) as probiotics and honey as prebiotic. For preparation of whey based synbiotic drink, Lactobacillus helveticus MTCC 5463 and inulin were used as probiotic and prebiotic, respectively and orange juice was also incorporated. Titratable acidity and pH of both synbiotic products followed a similar pattern of increase or decrease during storage. Furthermore, no major changes were observed in viability of probiotic cultures under storage conditions adapted. The hydroxyl radical scavenging activity of synbiotic lassi with honey was found to significantly decrease from 107.76 to 79.41 % at the end of storage whereas, the activity of whey based synbiotic drink was 100.32 % which declined sharply to 79.21 % on 7th day but further increased to 102.59 % on 14th day. The DPPH (α, α-Diphenyl-β-Picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity of freshly prepared synbiotic lassi with honey was 28.43 % which decreased to 23.03 % on 7th day while for whey based synbiotic drink decreased from 26.85 % (0 day) to 17.12 % (7th day) and continued to decline. Moreover, probiotic strains used for synbiotic preparation also demonstrated good antioxidative activity.

The Influence of Probiotic Lactobacillus casei in Combination with Prebiotic Inulin on the Antioxidant Capacity of Human Plasma

The aim of the present study was to assess whether probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus casei (4 × 10⁸ CFU) influences the antioxidant properties of human plasma when combined with prebiotic Inulin (400 mg). Experiments were carried out on healthy volunteers (n = 32). Volunteers were divided according to sex (16 male and 16 female) and randomly assigned to synbiotic and control groups. Blood samples were collected before synbiotic supplementation and after 7 weeks, at the end of the study. Catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, and the ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) in human plasma were examined. The administration of synbiotics containing L. casei plus Inulin resulted in a significant increase in FRAP values (p = 0.00008) and CAT activity (p = 0.02) and an insignificant increase in SOD and GPx activity compared to controls. Synbiotics containing L. casei (4 × 10⁸ CFU) with prebiotic Inulin (400 mg) may have a positive influence on human plasma antioxidant capacity and the activity of selected antioxidant enzymes.

Probiotic and technological properties of Lactobacillus spp. strains from the human stomach in the search for potential candidates against gastric microbial dysbiosis

This work characterizes a set of lactobacilli strains isolated from the stomach of healthy humans that might serve as probiotic cultures. Ten different strains were recognized by rep-PCR and PFGE fingerprinting among 19 isolates from gastric biopsies and stomach juice samples. These strains belonged to five species, Lactobacillus gasseri (3), Lactobacillus reuteri (2), Lactobacillus vaginalis (2), Lactobacillus fermentum (2) and Lactobacillus casei (1). All ten strains were subjected to a series of in vitro tests to assess their functional and technological properties, including acid resistance, bile tolerance, adhesion to epithelial gastric cells, production of antimicrobial compounds, inhibition of Helicobacter pylori, antioxidative activity, antibiotic resistance, carbohydrate fermentation, glycosidic activities, and ability to grow in milk. As expected, given their origin, all strains showed good resistance to low pH (3.0), with small reductions in counts after 90 min exposition to this pH. Species- and strain-specific differences were detected in terms of the production of antimicrobials, antagonistic effects toward H. pylori, antioxidative activity and adhesion to gastric epithelial cells. None of the strains showed atypical resistance to a series of 16 antibiotics of clinical and veterinary importance. Two L. reuteri strains were deemed as the most appropriate candidates to be used as potential probiotics against microbial gastric disorders; these showed good survival under gastrointestinal conditions reproduced in vitro, along with strong anti-Helicobacter and antioxidative activities. The two L. reuteri strains further displayed appropriated technological traits for their inclusion as adjunct functional cultures in fermented dairy products.