Probiotic actions on diseases: implications for therapeutic treatments

The ecology of gut microflora, which colonizes all body surfaces, has long coevolved with its hosts in a complicated fashion. Health benefits conferred by gut microflora include defense against invading pathogens, improvement of nutritional bioavailability, and development of the regional and systemic immune systems. The past decade has witnessed growing interest in the fact that the gut microflora affects the host's energy homeostasis by means of various mechanisms, including supplying nourishment from indigestible compounds, producing small biomolecules responsible for lipid profiles, and participating in the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of nutrition. Much in vitro and in vivo research has indicated that aberrant gut microflora plays an important role in the pathogenesis of a wide spectrum of diseases. This is accomplished by a shift in focus, from laying an emphasis on pharmacotherapy to placing more effort on gut microflora normalization. The objectives of this review include illustrating trends in the clinical application of probiotics on diseases, as well as discussing current methodology limitations on probiotic selection. Furthermore, it is expected to shed light on the nature of probiotics, with the aim of giving greater insight into the implications for clinical use of probiotics in the treatment of diseases

Lactobacillus plantarum MYL26 induces endotoxin tolerance phenotype in Caco-2 cells

Background: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are the major types of chronic inflammatory bowel diseaseoccurring in the colon and small intestine. A growing body of research has proposed that probiotics are able toattenuate the inflammatory symptoms of these diseases in vitro and in vivo. However, the mechanism of probioticactions remains unclear.Results: Our results suggested Lactobacillus plantarum MYL26 inhibited inflammation in Caco-2 cells throughregulation of gene expressions of TOLLIP, SOCS1, SOCS3, and IκBα, rather than SHIP-1 and IRAK-3.Conclusions: We proposed that live/ heat-killed Lactobacillus plantarum MYL26 and bacterial cell wall extracttreatments impaired TLR4-NFκb signal transduction through Tollip, SOCS-1 and SOCS-3 activation, thus inducing LPStolerance. Our findings suggest that either heat-killed probiotics or probiotic cell wall extracts are able to attenuateinflammation through pathways similar to that of live bacteria

First-time mothers’ experiences of pregnancy and birth following assisted reproductive technology treatment in Taiwan

Background Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatment tends to involve significant physical and emotional commitments that can impact maternal, infant and family health and well-being. An in-depth understanding of experiences is necessary to provide adequate support for women and their families during pregnancy and transition to parenthood following ART treatment. The aim of this study was to explore first-time mothers’ experiences of pregnancy and transition to parenthood following successful ART treatment in Taiwan. Method Twelve first-time mothers who conceived and gave live birth using ART treatment were purposively selected from a fertility centre in Taipei, Taiwan. Women’s experiences in pregnancy and in their transition to motherhood were explored using semi-structured in-depth interviews. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using the Colaizzi strategy. Results The mothers’ accounts reflected three main themes: ‘being different from mothers who became pregnant naturally’; ‘ensuring health and safety of the foetus’; and ‘welcoming new lives with excitement’. The difference mothers felt about themselves was evident in four subthemes: becoming pregnant after a long wait, feeling vulnerable during pregnancy, relying on family’s assistance and support, and worrying about the impact of ART on health. The theme on ‘ensuring health and safety of the foetus’ encompassed three subthemes: activities to protect the unborn baby, monitoring foetal movement constantly to maintain peace of mind, and receiving foetal reduction for the sake of the pregnancy. Narratives around ‘welcoming new lives with excitement’ reflected four subthemes: overcoming hardship for worthwhile results, realising one’s life and dreams, proving to be fertile enough to give birth, and return to normal life track. Conclusion Findings indicate the need for educational and psychosocial interventions to support women and their families physically and psychologically during ART treatment. The stigma related to infertility and the psychosocial support from family are aspects to consider while planning intervention programmes

A Novel Mechanism of Lactobacilli Bacteria Action on Development of Hepatocytic Tolerance to Staphylococcus aureus

The fundamental characteristics of mammalian PGLYRPs and NOD2 in the reduction of pathogen-inducedhepatocytic inflammation as well as interaction with probiotics have not yet been well studied. The aim of thisresearch was to explore whether or not probiotics exert hepatoprotective effects by means of attenuation of NOD2-NF-κB signal transduction induced by Staphylococcus aureus through regulation of PGLYRP2/3. By ELISAanalysis of pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion and RT-qPCR assay of NOD2 and PGLYRP2/3 gene expressionupon stimulation of bacteria lysates, we found that PGLYRP2 and NOD2 play important roles in the transductionof inflammatory responses induced by S. aureus lysates, while PGLYRP3 induced by Lactobacillus plantarumMYL26 lysates serves as an anti-inflammation mediator, counteracting the effect of PGLYRP2 and NOD2. Weproposed that one new mechanism by which probiotics exert hepatoprotective effect is through induction ofPGLYRP3, which antagonizes PGLYRP2 and NOD2, thus leading to attenuation of NOD2-NFκB signaltransduction

Lactobacillus casei MYL01 modulates the proinflammatory state induced by ethanol in an in vitro model

Accumulating studies have suggested that probiotics have beneficial effects on liver injury but the underlying mechanism has remained unclear. Toll-like receptors (TLR) expressed on immune cells and hepatocytes recognize bacterial components that are translocated from the gut into the portal vein. To date, it has been demonstrated that ethanol alone, without microbial components, is able to activate TLR, leading to promotion of proinflammatory cytokine production. Because the enhanced signaling of TLR triggers persistent inflammation, we hypothesized that development of hepatocyte TLR tolerance to repetitive stimulation plays an important role in protecting the liver from hypergeneration of proinflammatory cytokines. In this study, we showed that Lactobacillus casei MYL01 modulated the proinflammatory state induced by ethanol and investigated in detail the mechanism underlying the observation that L. casei MYL01 gave rise to TLR tolerance toward ethanol stimulation. The effects of L. casei MYL01 in the attenuation of ethanol-induced liver damage were due to enhancement of IL-10 production, which limited the proinflammatory process. Furthermore, better defense of hepatocytes against ethanol challenge by treatment of L. casei MYL01 was attributed to previous induction of toll interacting protein (TOLLIP) and suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)1 and SOCS3 expression via activation of TLR1, TLR2, TLR6, and TLR9, an action that cross-regulated ethanol-TLR4-nuclear factor κB signal transduction events. This finding might help establish an in vitro platform for selecting hepatoprotective probiotic strains in terms of ethanol-induced liver damage

Heat-Killed Lactic Acid Bacteria Enhance Immunomodulatory Potential by Skewing the Immune Response toward Th1 Polarization

Heat-killed lactic acid bacteria not only possess immunomodulatory functions but also provide the advantages of longer product shelf life, easier storage, and more convenient transportation. To establish appropriate heat treatments for the industrial preparation of probiotics with immunomodulatory effects, 4 different heat treatments were used to kill 11 strains of lactic acid bacteria. Comparisons among the strains and with viable forms were carried out in terms of immunomodulatory activity and adhesion to Caco-2 cells. Field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) was employed to observe morphological changes in bacteria after heating. Among the 11 viable strains, Lactobacillus gasseri AI-88 was the strongest inducer of interferon-gamma (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-12p70 production. However, after heat treatments its stimulatory ability was attenuated. Heat-killed Enterococcus faecalis YM-73 and Lactobacillus salivarius AP-32 strains showed enhanced stimulation of IFN-gamma and IL-12p70 secretion and coincidental decrease in IL-13 production. The adhesion of lactic acid bacteria to Caco-2 cells decreased with increases in temperature. However, heat exposure did not influence immunomodulatory activity. With rising temperature, roughness and unevenness of bacterial cell surfaces increased significantly. The results indicated that heat-killed E. faecalis YM-73 and L. salivarius AP-32 have immunomodulatory ability via increased Th1-associated cytokines and reduced Th2-associated cytokines, switching the immune response from a Th2 toward a Th1 response. These 2 heat-killed strains have the potential for development as commercial products