Acute physiological effects following Bacillus subtilis DE111 oral ingestion - a randomised, double blinded, placebo-controlled study

Acute physiological effects on macromolecule digestion following oral ingestion of the enzyme blend Elevase® in individuals that had undergone an ileostomy, but were otherwise healthy-a randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled exploratory study

Digestive enzymes can selectively degrade proteins, carbohydrates and lipids; and their supplementation alongside food may accelerate the breakdown of complex food matrices, facilitate greater nutrient absorption, decrease food sensitivities and aid in the management of certain disease states. Several intrinsic and extrinsic factors govern food digestion and for every individual this phenomenon is unique. This study was conducted as a randomized, crossover, placebo-controlled design where each participant served as their own control. This post-hoc analysis investigated the impact of a dietary enzyme supplementation blend known as Elevase® on dietary macromolecule digestion in samples from otherwise healthy participants that had previously undergone a small bowel resection, resulting in an ileostomy (NCT04489810). This is the first time this study-paradigm has been used for the assessment of in vivo dietary breakdown following enzyme supplementation. Arguably, this technique offers superior data when compared to that generated in artificial gut digestion models, preclinical animal models, or indeed conventional clinical studies using stool analyses, as it allows real-time access to samples in situ in the small intestine where the majority of nutritional absorption takes place. It was demonstrated that after 4 h, Elevase® significantly increased monosaccharide levels (predominantly glucose and fructose) in the ileostomy samples taken from the same individuals on the same diet on a different day. In addition, the bile salt taurohyodeoxycholic acid was also increased, suggesting a physiological host response to the macromolecule digestion induced by the enzymatic blend. Overall, these findings suggest Elevase® could accelerate food digestion and potentially increase nutrient availability from the diet.

Immunostimulant, hepatoprotective, and nephroprotective potential of Bacillus subtilis (NMCC-path-14) in comparison to dexamethasone in alleviating CFA-induced arthritis

To investigate and compare efficacy as well as safety of Bacillus subtilis and dexamethasone (Dexa) in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced arthritis, we used glucocorticoid monotherapy (Dexa 5 mg/kg/day) and B. subtilis (1 × 108 CFU/animal/day p.o) as pre-treatment and concurrent treatment for a duration of 35 days. Specific emphasis was on chronic aspect of this study since long-term use of Dexa is known to produce undesirable side effects. Treatment with Dexa significantly attenuated the arthritic symptoms but produced severe side effects like weight loss, increased mortality, immunosuppression, and altered histology of liver, kidney, and spleen. Oxidative stress was also elevated by Dexa in these organs which contributed to the damage. Treatment with B. subtilis improved symptoms of arthritis without producing any deleterious side effects as seen with Dexa therapy. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) profile revealed decreased expression of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and increased nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2) expression by B. subtilis and Dexa treatment in ankle joint of arthritic mice. Radiological scores were also improved by both treatments. This study concludes that B. subtilis could be an effective alternative for treating arthritis than Dexa since it does not produce life-threatening side effects on prolong treatment.

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

Bacillus subtilis DE111^® is a safe, well-tolerated commercially available spore-forming probiotic that has been clinically shown to support a healthy gut microbiome, and to promote digestive and immune health in both adults and children. Recently it was shown that this spore-forming probiotic was capable of germinating in the gastrointestinal tract as early as 3 h after ingestion. However, a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the efficacy of DE111^® is required. Therefore, the present investigation was undertaken to elucidate the functional properties of DE111^® through employing a combination of in vitro functional assays and genome analysis. DE111^® genome mining revealed the presence of several genes encoding acid and stress tolerance mechanisms in addition to adhesion proteins required to survive and colonize harsh gastrointestinal environment including multi subunit ATPases, arginine deiminase (ADI) pathway genes (argBDR), stress (GroES/GroEL and DnaK/DnaJ) and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) biosynthesis genes (pgsBCA). DE111^® harbors several genes encoding enzymes involved in the metabolism of dietary molecules (protease, lipases, and carbohyrolases), antioxidant activity and genes associated with the synthesis of several B-vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxin, biotin, and folate), vitamin K2 (menaquinone) and seven amino acids including five essential amino acids (threonine, tryptophan, methionine, leucine, and lysine). Furthermore, a combined in silico analysis of bacteriocin producing genes with in vitro analysis highlighted a broad antagonistic activity of DE111^® toward numerous urinary tract, intestinal, and skin pathogens. Enzymatic activities included proteases, peptidases, esterase's, and carbohydrate metabolism coupled with metabolomic analysis of DE111^® fermented ultra-high temperature milk, revealed a high release of amino acids and beneficial short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Together, this study demonstrates the genetic and phenotypic ability of DE111^® for surviving harsh gastric transit and conferring health benefits to the host, in particular its efficacy in the metabolism of dietary molecules, and its potential to generate beneficial SCFAs, casein-derived bioactive peptides, as well as its high antioxidant and antimicrobial potential. Thus, supporting the use of DE111^® as a nutrient supplement and its pottential use in the preparation of functional foods.