Genome Sequence of the Bacterium Bifidobacterium longum Strain CMCC P0001, a Probiotic Strain Used for Treating Gastrointestinal Disease. Genome Announc. 2013;1:pii e00716-13. [PMID: 24029762 PMCID: PMC3772146 DOI: 10.1128/genomea.00716-13]

Bifico relieves irritable bowel syndrome by regulating gut microbiota dysbiosis and inflammatory cytokines

PURPOSE

Gut microbiota dysbiosis, a core pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), is closely related to immunological and metabolic functions. Gut microbiota-based therapeutics have been recently explored in several studies. Bifico is a probiotic cocktail widely used in gastrointestinal disorders which relate to the imbalance of gut microbiota. However, the efficacy and potential mechanisms of Bifico treatment in IBS remains incompletely understood.

METHODS

Adopting a wrap restraint stress (WRS) -induced IBS mice model. Protective effect of Bifico in IBS mice was examined through abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) scores. 16S rDNA, ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR) and western blot assays were performed to analyze alterations of gut microbiota, microbiome metabolites and inflammatory cytokines, respectively.

RESULTS

Bifico could decrease intestinal visceral hypersensitivity. Although gut microbiota diversity did not increase, composition of gut microbiota was changed after treatment of Bifico, which were characterized by an increase of Proteobacteria phylum and Actinobacteria phylum, Muribaculum genus, Bifidobacterium genus and a decrease of Parabacteroides genus, Sutterella genus and Lactobacillus genus. Moreover, Bifico elevated the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and reduced protein levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). From further Spearman's correlation analysis, Bifidobacterium genus were positively correlated with SCFAs including propionate, butyrate, valerate and negatively correlated with IL-6 and TNF-α.

CONCLUSION

Bifico could alleviate symptoms of IBS mice through regulation of the gut microbiota, elevating production of SCFAs and reducing the colonic inflammatory response.

Effects of long-term supplementation of probiotics on cognitive function and emotion in temporal lobe epilepsy

Cognitive impairment and neuropsychiatric disorders are very common in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). These comorbidities complicate the treatment of epilepsy and seriously affect the quality of life. So far, there is still no effective intervention to prevent the development of epilepsy-associated comorbidities. Gut dysbiosis has been recognized to be involved in the pathology of epilepsy development. Modulating gut microbiota by probiotics has shown an antiseizure effect on humans and animals with epilepsy. Whether this treatment strategy has a positive effect on epilepsy-associated comorbidities remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to objectively assess the effect of probiotics on cognitive function and neuropsychiatric performance of patients with TLE. Participants enrolled in an epilepsy clinic were randomly assigned to the probiotic and placebo groups. These two groups were treated with probiotics or placebo for 12 weeks, and then the cognitive function and psychological performance of participants were assessed. We enrolled 76 participants in this study, and 70 subjects were finally included in the study (35 in the probiotics group and 35 in the placebo group). Our results showed significant seizure reduction in patients with TLE treated with probiotics. No significant differences were observed on cognitive function (including intelligence and memory) between groups. For neuropsychiatric performances, supplementation of probiotics significantly decreased the Hamilton Anxiety Rating and Depression Scale scores and increased the 89-item Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory score in patients with TLE. In conclusion, probiotics have a positive impact on seizures control, and improve anxiety, depression, and quality of life in patients with TLE.

Update of Probiotics in Human World: A Nonstop Source of Benefactions till the End of Time

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are known for their biotechnological potential. Moreover, LAB are distinguished by amazing criteria: Adjusting the intestinal environment, inhibiting pathogenic microbes in the gastrointestinal tract, ability to reduce pathogen adhesion activity, improving the balance of the microbiota inside the intestine, capabilities of regulating intestinal mucosal immunity, and maintaining intestinal barrier function. The escalating number of research and studies about beneficial microorganisms and their impact on promoting health has attracted a big interest in the last decades. Since antiquity, various based fermented products of different kinds have been utilized as potential probiotic products. Nevertheless, the current upsurge in consumers' interest in bioalternatives has opened new horizons for the probiotic field in terms of research and development. The present review aims at shedding light on the world of probiotics, a continuous story of astonishing success in various fields, in particular, the biomedical sector and pharmaceutical industry, as well as to display the importance of probiotics and their therapeutic potential in purpose to compete for sturdy pathogens and to struggle against diseases and acute infections. Shadows and future trends of probiotics use are also discussed.

Effect of probiotics on the intestinal microbiota of hemodialysis patients: a randomized trial

BACKGROUND

Intestinal dysbiosis contributes to the progression of renal failure and cardiovascular diseases in patients with chronic kidney disease. Probiotics is a promising intervention to improving intestinal dysbiosis. A double-blind clinical trial to investigate the ability of probiotics to modulate gut microbiota compositions in patients receiving hemodialysis (HD) was undertaken.

METHODS

Fifty HD patients were enrolled and randomized, receiving either probiotics or placebo for 6 months. The responses to the interventions on gut microbiome, serum and fecal metabolome, serum albumin and endotoxin, endothelial activation markers and inflammatory markers were assessed.

RESULTS

Totally, 22 in the probiotics group (11 males; 14 non-diabetic) and 23 in the placebo group (13 males; 17 non-diabetic) completed the study. Compared to that in the placebo group, probiotics did not significantly alter species diversity of the fecal microbiome. Probiotics did, however, restore the community composition, with particular significance in non-diabetic HD patients (P = 0.007 by Adonis analysis). Specifically, according to the results of linear discriminate analysis effect size, probiotics raised the proportions of family Bacteroidaceae and Enterococcaceae, and reduced Ruminococcaceae, Halomonadaceae, Peptostreptococcaceae, Clostridiales Family XIII. Incertae Sedis and Erysipelotrichaceae in non-diabetic HD patients. Additionally, probiotics reduced the abundances of several uremic retention solutes in serum or feces, including indole-3-acetic acid-O-glucuronide, 3-guanidinopropionic acid, and 1-methylinosine (P < 0.05). In the probiotic arm, no significant changes were observed in other secondary outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, outcomes from this study suggest that probiotics do have benefits on improving intestinal imbalances and lowering exposure to several uremic toxins in HD patients.

Pretreatment with probiotic Bifico ameliorates colitis-associated cancer in mice: Transcriptome and gut flora profiling

Individuals with inflammatory bowel disease are at high risk of developing colitis‐associated cancer (CAC). Strategies to block the process from inflammatory bowel disease to CAC should be considered. In the experiment, we aim to explore the chemopreventive efficacy of the probiotic cocktail Bifico and its potential mechanism in azoxymethane and dextran sodium sulphate‐induced CAC in mice. Oral pretreatment of Bifico was adopted to evaluate its protective effect. The colorectums of 35 C57BL/6 mice were collected and examined for the degree of inflammation and tumorigenesis. Comparative 16S rRNA sequencing was carried out to observe Bifico‐target alterations in gene expression and microbiota structure. We found that pretreatment of Bifico alleviated intestinal inflammation and reduced tumor formation. Furthermore, we identified a subset of genes as potential targets of Bifico treatment, including CXCL1,CXCL2,CXCL3, and CXCL5, which are all ligands of C‐X‐C motif receptor 2 (CXCR2). The 16S rRNA sequencing showed that Bifico decreased the abundance of genera Desulfovibrio, Mucispirillum, and Odoribacter, and a bloom of genus Lactobacillus was detected. Notably, we found that an abundance of these Bifico‐target taxa was significantly associated with the expression of CXCR2 ligand genes. Our studies indicate that Bifico, given orally, can ameliorate CAC in mice through intervening with the possible link between Desulfovibrio, Mucispirillum, Odoribacter, Lactobacillus, and CXCR2 signaling.

A novel gene cluster allows preferential utilization of fucosylated milk oligosaccharides in Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum SC596

The infant intestinal microbiota is often colonized by two subspecies of Bifidobacterium longum: subsp. infantis (B. infantis) and subsp. longum (B. longum). Competitive growth of B. infantis in the neonate intestine has been linked to the utilization of human milk oligosaccharides (HMO). However, little is known how B. longum consumes HMO. In this study, infant-borne B. longum strains exhibited varying HMO growth phenotypes. While all strains efficiently utilized lacto-N-tetraose, certain strains additionally metabolized fucosylated HMO. B. longum SC596 grew vigorously on HMO, and glycoprofiling revealed a preference for consumption of fucosylated HMO. Transcriptomes of SC596 during early-stage growth on HMO were more similar to growth on fucosyllactose, transiting later to a pattern similar to growth on neutral HMO. B. longum SC596 contains a novel gene cluster devoted to the utilization of fucosylated HMO, including genes for import of fucosylated molecules, fucose metabolism and two α-fucosidases. This cluster showed a modular induction during early growth on HMO and fucosyllactose. This work clarifies the genomic and physiological variation of infant-borne B. longum to HMO consumption, which resembles B. infantis. The capability to preferentially consume fucosylated HMO suggests a competitive advantage for these unique B. longum strains in the breast-fed infant gut.

Pangenome analysis of Bifidobacterium longum and site-directed mutagenesis through by-pass of restriction-modification systems

Background

Bifidobacterial genome analysis has provided insights as to how these gut commensals adapt to and persist in the human GIT, while also revealing genetic diversity among members of a given bifidobacterial (sub)species. Bifidobacteria are notoriously recalcitrant to genetic modification, which prevents exploration of their genomic functions, including those that convey (human) health benefits.

Methods

PacBio SMRT sequencing was used to determine the whole genome seqeunces of two B. longum subsp. longum strains. The B. longum pan-genome was computed using PGAP v1.2 and the core B. longum phylogenetic tree was constructed using a maximum-likelihood based approach in PhyML v3.0. M.blmNCII was cloned in E. coli and an internal fragment if arfBarfB was cloned into pORI19 for insertion mutagenesis.

Results

In this study we present the complete genome sequences of two Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum strains. Comparative analysis with thirty one publicly available B. longum genomes allowed the definition of the B. longum core and dispensable genomes. This analysis also highlighted differences in particular metabolic abilities between members of the B. longum subspecies infantis, longum and suis. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis of the B. longum core genome indicated the existence of a novel subspecies. Methylome data, coupled to the analysis of restriction-modification systems, allowed us to substantially increase the genetic accessibility of B. longum subsp. longum NCIMB 8809 to a level that was shown to permit site-directed mutagenesis.

Conclusions

Comparative genomic analysis of thirty three B. longum representatives revealed a closed pan-genome for this bifidobacterial species. Phylogenetic analysis of the B. longum core genome also provides evidence for a novel fifth B. longum subspecies. Finally, we improved genetic accessibility for the strain B. longum subsp. longum NCIMB 8809, which allowed the generation of a mutant of this strain.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1968-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Bifidobacterium lactis in Treatment of Children with Acute Diarrhea. A Randomized Double Blind Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Probiotics are becoming increasingly popular treatment for children diarrhea. Although there are several probiotic strains potentially useful, researches were often limited to certain strains.

AIM

To test Bifidobacterium lactis on morbidity of acute diarrhea in children less than 2 years.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A randomized double-blind controlled clinical trial was conducted in 50 children (1 - 23 months) admitted with acute diarrhea to the Pediatric Hospital, Cairo University and were randomly assigned to receive in addition to usual treatment of diarrhea according to WHO guidelines; one of two treatments either milk formula non-supplemented (n = 25) or supplemented (n = 25) with Bifidobacterium lactis 14.5 × 10(6) CFU/100 ml daily for one week. Primary outcomes were frequency and duration of diarrhea and hospital stay. Secondary outcomes were duration of fever and vomiting episodes. Safety and tolerance were also recorded.

RESULTS

On admission, patients' characteristics of both groups (50 cases) were similar. For children who received the probiotics for one week; mean duration of diarrhoea was shorter than in controls (3.12 ± 0.92 vs. 4.10 ± 0.94 days) (P = 0.02), number of motions per day was less than in controls (3.96 ± 0.62 vs. 4.46 ± 0.85) (P = 0.04) and discharge from hospital <2 days was more frequent than in controls (72% vs. 44%) (P = 0.048). There was no effect on fever (P = 0.63) or vomiting (P = 0.54).

CONCLUSION

Bifidobacterium lactis probiotics in supplemented milk formula decreased significantly frequency, duration of diarrhea, and hospital stay than usual treatment alone in children with acute diarrhea. Additional researches on other uncommon local probiotic species should be encouraged.

Probiotic BIFICO cocktail ameliorates Helicobacter pylori induced gastritis

AIM: To determine the protective effect of triple viable probiotics on gastritis induced by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and elucidate the possible mechanisms of protection.

METHODS: Colonization of BIFICO strains in the mouse stomach was determined by counting colony-forming units per gram of stomach tissue. After treatment with or without BIFICO, inflammation and H. pylori colonization in the mouse stomach were analyzed by hematoxylin and eosin and Giemsa staining, respectively. Cytokine levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Milliplex. The activation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB and MAPK signaling in human gastric epithelial cells was evaluated by Western blot analysis. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify TLR2, TLR4 and MyD88 mRNA expression in the mouse stomach.

RESULTS: We demonstrated that BIFICO, which contains a mixture of Enterococcus faecalis, Bifidobacterium longum and Lactobacillus acidophilus, was tolerant to the mouse stomach environment and was able to survive both the 8-h and 3-d courses of administration. Although BIFICO treatment had no effect on the colonization of H. pylori in the mouse stomach, it ameliorated H. pylori-induced gastritis by significantly inhibiting the expression of cytokines and chemokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-10, IL-6, G-CSF and MIP-2 (P < 0.05). These results led us to hypothesize that BIFICO treatment would diminish the H. pylori-induced inflammatory response in gastric mucosal epithelial cells in vitro via the NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. Indeed, we observed a decrease in the expression of the NF-κB subunit p65 and in the phosphorylation of IκB-α, ERK and p38. Moreover, there was a significant decrease in the production of IL-8, TNF-α, G-CSF and GM-CSF (P < 0.05), and the increased expression of TLR2, TLR4 and MyD88 induced by H. pylori in the stomach was also significantly reduced following BIFICO treatment (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the probiotic cocktail BIFICO can ameliorate H. pylori-induced gastritis by inhibiting the inflammatory response in gastric epithelial cells.

Microorganisms with claimed probiotic properties: an overview of recent literature

Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms, which when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. Health benefits have mainly been demonstrated for specific probiotic strains of the following genera: Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Saccharomyces, Enterococcus, Streptococcus, Pediococcus, Leuconostoc, Bacillus, Escherichia coli. The human microbiota is getting a lot of attention today and research has already demonstrated that alteration of this microbiota may have far-reaching consequences. One of the possible routes for correcting dysbiosis is by consuming probiotics. The credibility of specific health claims of probiotics and their safety must be established through science-based clinical studies. This overview summarizes the most commonly used probiotic microorganisms and their demonstrated health claims. As probiotic properties have been shown to be strain specific, accurate identification of particular strains is also very important. On the other hand, it is also demonstrated that the use of various probiotics for immunocompromised patients or patients with a leaky gut has also yielded infections, sepsis, fungemia, bacteraemia. Although the vast majority of probiotics that are used today are generally regarded as safe and beneficial for healthy individuals, caution in selecting and monitoring of probiotics for patients is needed and complete consideration of risk-benefit ratio before prescribing is recommended.