Beneficial Propionibacteria within a Probiotic Emmental Cheese: Impact on Dextran Sodium Sulphate-Induced Colitis in Mice.

Houem Rabah,Emiliano Rosa Oliveira,Sara Heloisa Da Silva,Yves Le Loir,Ana Maria Caetano Faria,Gwénaël Jan,Vasco Azevedo,Luisa Lemos,Guillaume Bouguen,Marielle Harel-Oger,Gilles Garric,Denise Carmona Cara,Barbara Fernandes Cordeiro,Rodrigo Dias De Oliveira Carvalho,Fillipe Luiz Rosa Do Carmo

doi:10.3390/microorganisms8030380

Abstract

Backgrounds and Aims. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), including Ulcerative Colitis (UC), coincide with alterations in the gut microbiota. Consumption of immunomodulatory strains of probiotic bacteria may induce or prolong remission in UC patients. Fermented foods, including cheeses, constitute major vectors for bacteria consumption. New evidences revealed anti-inflammatory effects in selected strains of Propionibacterium freudenreichii. We thus hypothesized that consumption of a functional cheese, fermented by such a strain, may exert a positive effect on IBD. Methods. We investigated the impact of cheese fermented by P. freudenreichii on gut inflammation. We developed an experimental single-strain cheese solely fermented by a selected immunomodulatory strain of P. freudenreichii, CIRM-BIA 129. We moreover produced, in industrial conditions, an Emmental cheese using the same strain, in combination with Lactobacillus delbrueckii CNRZ327 and Streptococcus thermophilus LMD-9, as starters. Consumption of both cheeses was investigated with respect to prevention of Dextran Sodium Sulphate (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. Results. Consumption of the single-strain experimental cheese, or of the industrial Emmental, both fermented by P. freudenreichii CIRM-BIA 129, reduced severity of subsequent DSS-induced colitis, weight loss, disease activity index and histological score. Both treatments, in a preventive way, reduced small bowel Immunoglobulin A (IgA) secretion, restored occludin gene expression and prevented induction of Tumor Necrosis Factor α (TNFα), Interferon γ (IFNγ) and Interleukin-17 (IL-17). Conclusions. A combination of immunomodulatory strains of starter bacteria can be used to manufacture an anti-inflammatory cheese, as revealed in an animal model of colitis. This opens new perspectives for personalised nutrition in the context of IBD.

Highlights

Functional foods are defined as “ingredients that affect beneficially one or more target functions in the body, beyond adequate nutritional effects, in a way that is relevant to either an improved state of health and well-being and/or reduction of the risk of a disease” [1,2]
Previous studies indicated the protective role of the consumption of selected strains of Propionibacterium freudenreichii, in the context of Trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis in mice [14,19,20]
We investigated the protective effect of the consumption of a “probiotic” Emmental cheese, in the Previous studies indicated the protective role of the consumption of selected strains of Propionibacterium freudenreichii, in the context of TNBS-induced colitis in mice [14,19,20]

Summary

Introduction

Functional foods are defined as “ingredients that affect beneficially one or more target functions in the body, beyond adequate nutritional effects, in a way that is relevant to either an improved state of health and well-being and/or reduction of the risk of a disease” [1,2]. The dairy fermented foods, including cheeses, constitute a large part of our daily diet. Several investigations recently showed that specific bacteria strains of starter bacteria, typically employed in dairy fermented foods, can exert probiotic properties such as microbiota modulation, anti-cancerous and anti-inflammatory effects, in a strain-dependent manner. In this perspective, the development of functional dairy fermented foods by using probiotic starter bacteria, may constitute a promising manner to reduce the risk of diseases, which are related to lifestyle and diet. Some lactic acid bacteria and dairy propionibacteria strains were characterized for their immunomodulatory properties, in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) [3,4]. The consumption of specific food-grade microorganisms, selected for their immunomodulatory properties, alone or in combination with conventional drugs, was shown to induce and/or to enhance remission in UC patients [10]

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Conclusion