Immunomodulatory and Antioxidant Properties of a Novel Potential Probiotic Bacillus clausii CSI08

PROTECTIVE ROLE OF CELLS AND SPORES OF SHOUCHELLA CLAUSII SF174 AGAINST FRUCTOSE-INDUCED GUT DYSFUNCTIONS IN SMALL AND LARGE INTESTINE

The oral administration of probiotics is nowadays recognized as a strategy to treat or prevent the consequences of unhealthy dietary habits. Here we analyze and compare the effects of the oral administration of vegetative cells or spores of Shouchella clausii SF174 in counteracting gut dysfunctions induced by 6 weeks of high fructose intake in a rat model. Gut microbiota composition, tight junction proteins, markers of inflammation and redox homeostasis were evaluated in ileum and colon in rats fed fructose rich diet and supplemented with cells or spores of Shouchella clausii SF174. Our results show that both spores and cells of SF174 were effective in preventing the fructose-induced metabolic damage to the gut, namely establishment of "leaky gut", inflammation and oxidative damage, thus preserving gut function. Our results also suggest that vegetative cells and germination-derived cells metabolize part of the ingested fructose at the ileum level.

A Narrative Review on Gut Microbiome Disturbances and Microbial Preparations in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Implications for Long COVID

Myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and long COVID are complex, multisystemic and long-term disabling conditions characterized by debilitating post-exertional malaise and other core symptoms related to immune dysregulation resultant from post-viral infection, including mitochondrial dysfunction, chronic neuroinflammation and gut dysbiosis. The reported associations between altered microbiota composition and cardinal symptoms of ME/CFS and long COVID suggest that the use of microbial preparations, such as probiotics, by restoring the homeostasis of the brain-immune-gut axis, may help in the management of symptoms in both conditions. Therefore, this review aims to investigate the implications of alerted gut microbiome and assess the evidence supporting use of microbial-based preparations, including probiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics alone and/or in combination with other nutraceuticals in the management of fatigue, inflammation and neuropsychiatric and gastrointestinal symptoms among patients with ME/CFS and long COVID.

Microencapsulation and controlled release of Bacillus clausii through a novel non-digestible carbohydrate formulation as revolutionizing probiotic delivery

Probiotics have gained significant attention in recent years due to the growing awareness of physical health and well-being. However, maintaining high concentrations of probiotics throughout the product's shelf life and during the gastrointestinal tract is crucial for ensuring their health-promoting effects. After determining an optimal formulation through a fractional factorial model, this study optimizes probiotic Bacillus Clausii delivery through spray-drying microencapsulation using a novel maltodextrin-alginate-inulin (MDX-ALG-IN) formulation (optimized ratio: 7:2:1). Notably, this formulation exclusively comprises non-digestible carbohydrates, marking a novel approach in probiotic encapsulation. Achieving a high Product Yield (51.06 %) and Encapsulation Efficiency (80.53 %), the study employed SEM for morphological analysis, revealing an irregular form and extensive surface in dentations characteristic of maltodextrin involvement. With a low moisture content of 3.02 % (±0.23 %) and 90.52 % solubility, the powder displayed exceptional properties. Probiotic viability remained robust, surviving up to 60 % even after 180 days at 4 °C, 25 °C, and 37 °C. Thermal characterization unveiled microcapsule resilience, exhibiting a glass transition temperature (Tg) at 138.61 °C and a melting point of 177.28 °C. The study systematically addresses crucial aspects of microencapsulation, including formulation optimization, morphological characteristics, and powder properties. Notably, the MDX-ALG-IN microcapsules demonstrated stability in simulated gastrointestinal conditions, indicating potential application for supplements and complex food matrices. In summary, this research contributes to microencapsulation understanding, emphasizing the MDX-ALG-IN formulation's efficacy in preserving probiotic viability across production stages and simulated digestive processes.

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.

Mechanistic Insight into the Role of Peptides Secreted from Bacillus clausii and Future Opportunities

Bacillus clausii is a commercial spore probiotic known to treat multiple diseases. An increased interest in exploring the nutraceutical and probiotic properties of various microorganisms has made researchers explore more about these bacteria. The current trends in the healthcare industry are majorly focused on devising new therapies to avoid drug and pathogen resistance in patients. Antimicrobial peptides have been considered a source of antibiotics for a long time. Still, getting new therapies into the market is a big challenge. Members of the genus Bacillus have been reported to have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial peptides. One of the least explored species under this genus is Bacillus clausii, concerning peptide drug therapy. The applications of Bacillus clausii in treating or preventing gut dysbiosis and respiratory infections have been largely supported in the past two decades. Yet research is lacking in explaining the pathways at molecular levels in targeting pathogens. In this mini-review, we are going to summarise the research that has been reported so far about peptide extraction from Bacillus clausii, their mode of action and advantages to mankind, and the challenges lying in the isolation of peptides.

Insights into effects of salt stress on the oil-degradation capacity, cell response, and key metabolic pathways of Bacillus sp. YM1 isolated from oily food waste compost

A novel bacterial strain, Bacillus sp. YM1, was isolated from compost for the efficient degradation of oily food waste under salt stress. The strain's lipase activity, oil degradation ability, and tolerance to salt stress were evaluated in a liquid medium. Additionally, the molecular mechanisms (including key genes and functional processes) underlying the strain's salt-resistant degradation of oil were investigated based on RNA-Seq technology. The results showed that after 24 h of microbial degradation, the degradation rate of triglycerides in soybean oil was 80.23% by Bacillus sp. YM1 at a 30 g L-1 NaCl concentration. The metabolizing mechanism of long-chain triglycerides (C50-C58) by the YM1 strain, especially the biodegradation rate of triglycerides (C18:3/C18:3/C18:3), could reach 98.65%. The most substantial activity of lipase was up to 325.77 U·L-1 at a salinity of 30 g L-1 NaCl. During salt-induced stress, triacylglycerol lipase was identified as the crucial enzyme involved in oil degradation in Bacillus sp. YM1, and its synthesis was regulated by the lip gene (M5E02_13495). Bacillus sp. YM1 underwent adaptation to salt stress through various mechanisms, including the accumulation of free amino acids, betaine synthesis, regulation of intracellular Na+/K+ balance, the antioxidative response, spore formation, and germination. The key genes involved in Bacillus sp. YM1's adaptation to salt stress were responsible for the synthesis of glutamate 5-kinase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, Na+/H+ antiporter, general stress protein, and sporogenic proteins belonging to the YjcZ family. Results indicated that the isolated strain of Bacillus sp. YM1 could significantly degrade oil in a short time under salt stress. This study would introduce new salt-tolerant strains for coping with the biodegradation of oily food waste and provide gene targets for use in genetic engineering.

Microbial inoculums improve growth and health of Heteropneustes fossilis via biofloc-driven aquaculture

Biofloc technology aims to maximize fish farming productivity by effectively breaking down ammonia and nitrite, promoting healthy flocculation, and enhancing the growth and immunity of cultured animals. However, a major limitation in this field is the suitable starter microbial culture and narrow number of fish species that have been tested with the biofloc system. Here, we investigated various microbial inoculum containing beneficial microbes with probiotics, immunostimulatory and flocs development and bioremediation properties would lead to the development of ideal biofloc development. Three treatment groups with different microbial combinations, viz., group 1 [Bacillus subtilis (AN1) + Pseudomonas putida (PB3) + Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ATCC-2601)], group 2 [B. subtilis (AN2) + P. fluorescens (PC3) + S. cerevisiae (ATCC-2601)] and group 3 [B. subtilis (AN3) + P. aeruginosa (PA2) + S. cerevisiae (ATCC-2601)] were used and compared with the positive control (pond water without microbial inoculums) and negative control (clear water: without microbial inoculums and carbon sources) on biofloc development and its characteristic features to improve the water quality and growth of fish. We demonstrated that microbial inoculums, especially group 2, significantly improve the water quality and microbiota of flocs and gut of the test animal, Heteropneustes fossilis. The study further demonstrates that biofloc system supplemented with microbial inoculums positively regulates gut histomorphology and growth performance, as evidenced by improved villous morphology, amylase, protease and lipase activity, weight gain, FCR, T3, T4 and IGF1 levels. The inoculums induced an antioxidative response marked by significantly higher values of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. Furthermore, the supplementation of microbial inoculums enhances both specific and non-specific immune responses and significantly elevated levels of immune genes (transferrin, interleukin-1β and C3), and IgM was recorded. This study provides a proof-of-concept approach for assessing microbial inoculums on fish species that can be further utilized to develop biofloc technology for use in sustainable aquaculture.