In vitro and in silico assessment of probiotic and functional properties of Bacillus subtilis DE111®

Probiotic functional gene explorations in the genome of Limosilactobacillus fermentum GD5MG

Limosilactobacillus fermentum is an isolate obtained from oral gingival samples of healthy human individuals. The whole genome of Lb. fermentum GD5MG is composed of a circular DNA molecule containing 1,834,134 bp and exhibits a GC content of 52.80 %. The sequencing effort produced 38.6 million reads, each 150 bp in length, resulting in a sequencing depth of 2912.48x. Our examination unveiled a total of 1961 protein-coding genes, 27 rRNA genes, 24 tRNA genes, 3 non-coding RNA genes, and 63 pseudogenes with the use of gene annotations in NCBI Prokaryotic Genome Annotation tool. RAST revealed 1863 coding genes distributed across 209 subsystems, with a predominant involvement in amino acid, carbohydrate, and protein metabolism. Phylogenetic analysis infers that the Lb. fermentum GD5MG shares 281 gene clusters. Furthermore, the genome features showed a single CRISPR locus of 45 bp in length. Three genes associated with adhesion ability (strA, dltD, and dltA) and 26 genes related to acid tolerance, digestive enzyme secretion, and bile salt resistance were identified. Numerous genes associated with oral probiotic properties, comprising adhesion, acid and bile salt tolerance, oxidative stress tolerance, and sugar metabolism, were identified in the genome. Our findings shed light on the genomic characteristics of Lb. fermentum GD5MG, which are probable probiotics with functional benefits in humans.

In vitro safety and functional characterization of the novel Bacillus coagulans strain CGI314

Introduction

Bacillus coagulans species have garnered much interest in health-related functional food research owing to their desirable probiotic properties, including pathogen exclusion, antioxidant, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory and food fermentation capabilities coupled with their tolerance of extreme environments (pH, temperature, gastric and bile acid resistance) and stability due to their endosporulation ability.

Methods

In this study, the novel strain Bacillus coagulans CGI314 was assessed for safety, and functional probiotic attributes including resistance to heat, gastric acid and bile salts, the ability to adhere to intestinal cells, aggregation properties, the ability to suppress the growth of human pathogens, enzymatic profile, antioxidant capacity using biochemical and cell-based methods, cholesterol assimilation, anti-inflammatory activity, and attenuation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced disruption of the intestinal-epithelial barrier.

Results

B. coagulans CGI314 spores display resistance to high temperatures (40°C, 70°C, and 90°C), and gastric and bile acids [pH 3.0 and bile salt (0.3%)], demonstrating its ability to survive and remain viable under gastrointestinal conditions. Spores and the vegetative form of this strain were able to adhere to a mucous-producing intestinal cell line, demonstrated moderate auto-aggregation properties, and could co-aggregate with potentially pathogenic bacteria. Vegetative cells attenuated LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression in HT-29 intestinal cell lines and demonstrated broad antagonistic activity toward numerous urinary tract, intestinal, oral, and skin pathogens. Metabolomic profiling demonstrated its ability to synthesize several amino acids, vitamins and short-chain fatty acids from the breakdown of complex molecules or by de novo synthesis. Additionally, B. coagulans CGI314's strong antioxidant capacity was demonstrated using enzyme-based methods and was further supported by its cytoprotective and antioxidant effects in HepG2 and HT-29 cell lines. Furthermore, B. coagulans CGI314 significantly increased the expression of tight junction proteins and partially ameliorated the detrimental effects of H2O2 induced intestinal-epithelial barrier integrity.

Discussion

Taken together these beneficial functional properties provide strong evidence for B. coagulans CGI314 as a promising potential probiotic candidate in food products.

Complete genome analysis of Bacillus velezensis TS5 and its potential as a probiotic strain in mice

Introduction

In recent years, a large number of studies have shown that Bacillus velezensis has the potential as an animal feed additive, and its potential probiotic properties have been gradually explored.

Methods

In this study, Illumina NovaSeq PE150 and Oxford Nanopore ONT sequencing platforms were used to sequence the genome of Bacillus velezensis TS5, a fiber-degrading strain isolated from Tibetan sheep. To further investigate the potential of B. velezensis TS5 as a probiotic strain, in vivo experiments were conducted using 40 five-week-old male specific pathogen-free C57BL/6J mice. The mice were randomly divided into four groups: high fiber diet control group (H group), high fiber diet probiotics group (HT group), low fiber diet control group (L group), and low fiber diet probiotics group (LT group). The H and HT groups were fed high-fiber diet (30%), while the L and LT groups were fed low-fiber diet (5%). The total bacteria amount in the vegetative forms of B. velezensis TS5 per mouse in the HT and LT groups was 1 × 109 CFU per day, mice in the H and L groups were given the same volume of sterile physiological saline daily by gavage, and the experiment period lasted for 8 weeks.

Results

The complete genome sequencing results of B. velezensis TS5 showed that it contained 3,929,788 nucleotides with a GC content of 46.50%. The strain encoded 3,873 genes that partially related to stress resistance, adhesion, and antioxidants, as well as the production of secondary metabolites, digestive enzymes, and other beneficial nutrients. The genes of this bacterium were mainly involved in carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, vitamin and cofactor metabolism, biological process, and molecular function, as revealed by KEGG and GO databases. The results of mouse tests showed that B. velezensis TS5 could improve intestinal digestive enzyme activity, liver antioxidant capacity, small intestine morphology, and cecum microbiota structure in mice.

Conclusion

These findings confirmed the probiotic effects of B. velezensis TS5 isolated from Tibetan sheep feces and provided the theoretical basis for the clinical application and development of new feed additives.

The Benefits of a Multimechanistic Antiaging Skin Technology

INTRODUCTION

Facial aging is a multifactorial phenomenon due to poor skin hydration, deficient intercellular communication, collagen/elastin breakdown, and oxidative stress. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of a multimechanistic antiaging prototype formulation on the appearance of photoaged facial skin after 24 weeks of twice daily use.

METHODS

Fifty female subjects 35-65 years of age of all Fitzpatrick skin types with mild to moderate facial photoaging concerns (fine lines, wrinkles, sagging skin, tone and texture) were enrolled in this monadic study. Investigator and subject tolerability assessments were performed along with facial noninvasive corneometry hydration and elasticity measurements. The dermatologist investigator assessed fine lines, wrinkles, skin evenness, radiance, plumping, texture/smoothness, sagging/firming/lifting, and global appearance on a 5-point ordinal scale.

RESULTS

Forty-seven of the 50 subjects completed the study with a 19% increase in skin firmness and a 35% increase in skin hydration via bio-instrumentation readings after 24 weeks of study product use. The investigator assessed a 40% improvement in lines, a 23% improvement in wrinkles, a 42% improvement in evenness, a 64% improvement in radiance, a 58% improvement in plumping, a 65% improvement in texture, a 60% improvement in firmness, and a 45% improvement in overall appearance at 24 weeks.

CONCLUSION

The serum combination of humectants, peptides, and antioxidants yielded excellent tolerability with visual and mechanistic skin improvement beginning at 1 week with cumulative continuing improvement through 24 weeks of use in terms of hydration, firmness, texture, radiance, and fine lines.

Secondary metabolites of Bacillus subtilis L2 show antiviral activity against pseudorabies virus

Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) is a commercially important probiotic known to produce secondary metabolites with antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory activities. However, the potential ability of B. subtilis to combat viruses, especially DNA viruses, has not been extensively investigated. In this study, we identified two distinct B. subtilis strains and examined the efficiency of their secondary metabolites against pseudorabies virus (PRV), a swine herpesvirus resulting in economic losses worldwide. We found that treatment with the secondary metabolites of B. subtilis L2, but not the metabolites of B. subtilis V11, significantly inhibited PRV replication in multiple cells. Notably, the antiviral activity of the metabolites of B. subtilis L2 was thermal stable, resistant to protease digestion. Moreover, these metabolites effectively impeded PRV binding, entry and replication. Importantly, oral administration of the metabolites of B. subtilis L2 protected mice from lethal PRV infection, rescuing weight loss and reducing the viral load in vivo. In summary, our results reveal that the metabolites of B. subtilis L2 exhibit anti-PRV activity both in vitro and in vivo, providing a potential candidate for novel antiviral drugs.