Abstract
Lactobacillus helveticus is an important industrial thermophilic starter that is predominantly employed in the fermentation of milk for the manufacture of several cheeses. In addition to its technological importance, a growing body of scientific evidence shows that strains belonging to the L. helveticus species have health-promoting properties. In this review, we synthesize the results of numerous primary literature papers concerning the ability of L. helveticus strains to positively influence human health. Several in vitro studies showed that L. helveticus possesses many common probiotic properties, such as the ability to survive gastrointestinal transit, adhere to epithelial cells, and antagonize pathogens. In vivo studies in murine models showed that L. helveticus could prevent gastrointestinal infections, enhance protection against pathogens, modulate host immune responses, and affect the composition of the intestinal microbiota. Interventional studies and clinical trials have also demonstrated a number of health-promoting properties of L. helveticus. Finally, several studies suggested that specific enzymatic activities of L. helveticus could indirectly benefit the human host by enhancing the bioavailability of nutrients, removing allergens and other undesired molecules from food, and producing bioactive peptides through the digestion of food proteins. In conclusion, this review demonstrates that in light of the scientific literature presented, L. helveticus can be included among the bacterial species that are generally considered to be probiotic.
Highlights
Lactobacilli are strictly fermentative bacteria of the phylum Firmicutes that live in a variety of environmental niches, wherever high levels of nutrients are present (Hammes et al, 1992)
L. acidophilus strains are commonly used as probiotics, defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as “live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host ” (Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization, 2002)
A study by Leblanc et al (2004) showed that the peptides derived from the proteolytic activity of L. helveticus R389 on milk induced in a BALB/c murine modela T helper (Th) 2 response, which is an adaptive immune reaction based on humoral responses mounted by a specialized sub-population of T helper lymphocytes
Summary
Edited by: Giorgio Giraffa, Agriculture Research Council, Fodder and Dairy Productions Research Centre, Italy. Instituto de Investigaciones para la Industria Química, Argentina Miriam Zago, Agriculture Research Council, Fodder and Dairy Productions Research Centre, Italy. In addition to its technological importance, a growing body of scientific evidence shows that strains belonging to the L. helveticus species have health-promoting properties. We synthesize the results of numerous primary literature papers concerning the ability of L. helveticus strains to positively influence human health. Several in vitro studies showed that L. helveticus possesses many common probiotic properties, such as the ability to survive gastrointestinal transit, adhere to epithelial cells, and antagonize pathogens. This review demonstrates that in light of the scientific literature presented, L. helveticus can be included among the bacterial species that are generally considered to be probiotic
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