Plantarum Lp Research Articles

Signaling via pattern recognition receptors NOD2 and TLR2 contributes to immunomodulatory control of lethal pneumovirus infection

Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) engage microbial components in the lung, although their role in providing primary host defense against respiratory virus infection is not fully understood. We have previously shown that Gram-positive Lactobacillus plantarum (Lp) administered to the respiratory tract promotes full and sustained protection in response to an otherwise lethal mouse pneumovirus (PVM) infection, a robust example of heterologous immunity. While Lp engages PRRs TLR2 and NOD2 in ex vivo signaling assays, we found that Lp-mediated protection was unimpaired in single gene-deleted TLR2−/− and NOD2−/− mice. Here we demonstrate substantial loss of Lp-mediated protection in a double gene-deleted NOD2−/−TLR2−/− strain. Furthermore, we demonstrate protection against PVM infection by administration of the bi-functional NOD2-TLR2 agonist, CL-429. The bi-functional NOD2-TLR2 ligand CL-429 not only suppresses virus-induced inflammation, it is significantly more effective at preventing lethal infection than equivalent amounts of mono-molecular TLR2 and NOD2 agonists. Interestingly, and in contrast to biochemical NOD2 and/or TLR2 agonists, Lp remained capable of eliciting primary proinflammatory responses from NOD2−/−TLR2−/− mice in vivo and from alveolar macrophages challenged ex vivo. Taken together, we conclude that coordinate engagement of NOD2 and TLR2 constitutes a key step in the genesis of Lp-mediated protection from a lethal respiratory virus infection, and represents a critical target for modulation of virus-induced inflammatory pathology.

Effect of different mixed starter cultures and fermentation conditions on biological safety of ‘Zha fish'

The purpose of this paper was to explore the influence of different starter cultures and fermentation conditions on biological safety of ‘Zha fish '(a fermented grass carp). Taken Lactobacillus plantarum(Lp),Pediococcus pentosaceus(Pp),Staphylococcus xylose(Sx),Saccharomyces cerevisiae(Sc) as starter culture,which was mixed with methods of Lp+Sx+Sc,Lp+Pp+Sc,and Sx+Pp+Sc under a ratio of 1∶1∶1(v/v/v). Tthe harmful bacterial count and biogenic amine(BA) content of ‘Zha fish' was assayed periodically under different fermentation conditions. The results showed that inoculation fermentation( IF) exhibited better antibacterial effects against harmful bacteria than that of the natural fermentation(NF)(p<0.01). Among three mixed starter cultures,Lp+Sx+Sc exhibited the best effect on inhibiting the formation of BA(p<0.05). With 20%(m/m) KCl substituted for Na Cl,it showed better inhibition effect on BA formation than that of samples no KCl substitution(p <0.05). The suitable content of composited salt was 2.4% Na Cl +0.6% KCl. From the point of view of BA control and production efficiency,20 ℃ was a suitable one. As to the sensory quality and BA control,5.0%mixed sugar was preferred. The total content of BA in ‘Zha fish' was as low as 43.50 mg/kg,and an excellent sensory quality could be achieved using Lp +Sx +Sc as starter culture to fermentation for 50 d under above-mentioned optimal conditions. The data obtained in this study suggested that biological safety of ‘Zha fish 'products could be ensured if Lp +Sx +Sc was taken as starter culture under an appropriate fermentation conditions.

Refrigerated Shelf Life of a Coconut Water-Oatmeal Mix and the Viability of Lactobacillus Plantarum Lp 115-400B

Non-dairy probiotic products have the advantage of being lactose-free and can be manufactured to sustain the growth of probiotics. In this study, coconut water and oatmeal were used with the probiotic, Lactobacillus plantarum Lp 115-400B (L. plantarum) as a starter culture. Two separate treatments were carried out probiotic (P) and probiotic and prebiotic (PP) added. In both treatments, oatmeal-coconut water matrix was inoculated with 7 log CFU/g of L. plantarum and fermented at 27 °C for 10 h. For the PP treatment, 1 g of inulin/100 mL of the product was added additionally. The fermented products were then refrigerated (4 °C) and the viability of L. plantarum, pH, total acidity, and apparent viscosity of the matrix were monitored at selected time intervals. The shelf life to reach was defined by maintenance of L. plantarum count of 7 log CFU/g product. Refrigerated shelf life was determined to be seven-weeks for the P treatment and five-weeks for PP treatment. A significant reduction of pH was observed at the end of the considered shelf life; conversely, the apparent viscosity of the product did not change significantly.

Effect of incubation time, inoculum size, temperature, pasteurization time, goat milk powder and whey powder on ACE inhibitory activity in fermented milk by L. plantarum LP69 [pdf

Effect of incubation time, inoculum size, temperature, pasteurization time, goat milk powder and whey powder on ACE inhibitory activity in fermented milk by L. plantarum LP69 [pdf

Effect of incubation time, inoculum size, temperature, pasteurization time, goat milk powder and whey powder on ACE inhibitory activity in fermented milk by L. plantarum LP69

Effect of incubation time, inoculum size, temperature, pasteurization time, goat milk powder and whey powder on ACE inhibitory activity in fermented milk by L. plantarum LP69

NMR‐Based Metabolomic Profiles of Mice Fed a High Fat Diet and Supplemented with Resistant Starch and/or Lactobacillus

Incidence of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is steadily increasing, and the contributions of diet and the gastrointestinal microbiota to these diseases are only partially understood. Enriching particular populations of microbes in a mouse model of pre‐diabetes and monitoring systemic metabolic effects will help to elucidate the mechanisms of obesity and T2DM progression. C57BL/6J mice were fed a 45% high fat diet for nine weeks and then supplemented with type 2 resistant starch (RS), Lactobacillus plantarum (Lp), or both for six weeks (n=10 per group). Urine was collected throughout the experiment; cecal contents and serum were obtained at the time of mouse sacrifice. All samples were analyzed using NMR‐based metabolomics. Unsupervised principal component analysis showed clear separation between RS and non‐RS groups for both cecal and serum samples. Significant differences were observed for microbial metabolites and amino acids when comparing RS groups to control, as well as when comparing Lp supplementation alone to RS supplementation alone. These results have implications for monitoring the effects of dietary supplementation on the gastrointestinal microbiota and overall host health. Funding was provided by the American Diabetes Association.

Valuing the Antigenicity of Sheep Milk Proteins after Fermentation at 40?C

The main objective of this work is to show a fermentation influence by some associations of two lactic acid bacteria and three bifidobacteria on proteolysis and the antigenicity of sheep milk proteins. This latter freshly collected is skimmed, sterilized and inoculated by a mixed culture. The mixture is homogenized and incubated at 40°C until it is a curd. On these fermented milks previously lyophilized, were measured the rate of lactic acid product, bacterial counts, the rate of total protein, α-NH2 functions and the antigenicity of three proteins (β-Lg, α-La and SA). The obtained averages are compared with the t test of Student compared to sterile milk without ferment taken as control. The best proteolysis is achieved in the fermented milk by Streptococcus thermophilus (St) associated with Lactobacillus plantarum (Lp) with a high antigenic potential of β-Lg and the α-La probably due to the detection of unmasked antigenic sites.

Cranberry extract promotes anti‐inflammatory activity of Lactobacillus plantarum on HT‐29 human colon cancer cells (647.35)

Probiotics modulate gastrointestinal inflammation by converting non‐digestible dietary nutrients into metabolites for colon epithelial health. Cranberry proanthocyanidins (PACs) can prevent urinary tract infection; however, the role of PACs as a prebiotic in the gastrointestinal tract is unclear. We studied the prebiotic effect of cranberry extract in promoting the anti‐inflammatory activity of Lactobacillus plantarum (Lp) on HT‐29 human colon cancer cells. Lp was incubated overnight with HT‐29 cells at a 10:1 ratio in the presence of 0, 0.01, or 0.1 mg PAC/mL cranberry extract. The presence of Lp decreased (P&lt;0.05) IL‐1β, IL‐2, IL‐6, and TNF‐α production by HT‐29 cells, indicating anti‐inflammatory activity. Addition of cranberry extract to HT‐29+Lp co‐cultures decreased (P&lt;0.05) NF‐κB and IL‐1β gene expression in HT‐29 cells in a dose‐dependent manner when compared to Lp alone. Cranberry extract (0.1 mg PAC/mL) downregulated (P&lt;0.05) COX‐2, and upregulated (P&lt;0.05) IL‐10 expression and superoxide dismutase activity in HT‐29 cells compared to Lp alone, suggesting enhanced antioxidant activity. Cranberry extract at 0.01 mg PAC/mL decreased (P&lt;0.05) while at 0.1 mg PAC/mL increased (P&lt;0.05) IL‐4 and IL‐8 production compared to Lp alone. Therefore, cranberry extract has a potential anti‐inflammatory and anti‐oxidant role in promoting Lp probiotic activity on HT‐29 cells.Grant Funding Source: Supported by ARC, Washington State University

Potential fate of ingested Lactobacillus plantarum and its occurrence in human feces.

Lactobacillus plantarum has been used in human clinical trials to promote beneficial effects in the immune system, to alleviate intestinal disorders, and to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. It is also involved in many fermentation processes in the food industry. However, information on the fate of ingested L. plantarum is limited. In this study, 61 subjects received daily doses of fermented milk containing 2 × 10(11) cells of L. plantarum Lp115 for different periods of time. The target microorganism was monitored in the fecal microbiota via quantitative PCR (qPCR). L. plantarum was detected and quantified in all of the subjects during the ingestion periods. The differences between the L. plantarum levels at time zero and during all the different ingestion periods were statistically significant (P = 0.001). However, at 15 and 45 days after discontinuing supplementation, the number of lactobacilli was reduced to the baseline level (those at time zero). A longer period with L. plantarum in the diet did not result in increased levels of this bacterium in the stool, based on postconsumption evaluations (P = 0.001). The qPCR method was specific and sensitive for L. plantarum quantification in such a complex microbial environment as the gastrointestinal tract.

Use of microparticulated whey protein concentrate, exopolysaccharide-producing Streptococcus thermophilus, and adjunct cultures for making low-fat Italian Caciotta-type cheese

Low-fat Caciotta-type cheeses were manufactured with partially skim milk (fat content of ~0.3%) alone (LFC); with the supplementation of 0.5% (wt/vol) microparticulated whey protein concentrate (MWPC) (LFC-MWPC); with MWPC and exopolysaccharides (EPS)-producing Streptococcus thermophilus ST446 (LFC-MWPC-EPS); and with MWPC, EPS-producing strain ST446, and Lactobacillus plantarum LP and Lactobacillus rhamnosus LRA as adjunct cultures (LFC-MWPC-EPS-A). The non-EPS-producing isogenic variant Streptococcus thermophilus ST042 was used for making full-fat Caciotta-type cheese (FFC), LFC, and LFC-MWPC. Cheeses were characterized based on compositional, microbiological, biochemical, texture, volatile components (purge and trap, and solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry), and sensory analyses. Compared with FFC and LFC (51.6±0.7 to 53.0±0.9%), the other cheese variants retained higher levels of moisture (60.5±1.1 to 67.5±0.5%). The MWPC mainly contributed to moisture retention. Overall, all LFC had approximately one-fourth (22.6±0.8%) of the fat of FFC. Hardness of cheeses slightly varied over 7d of ripening. Microbial EPS positively affected cheese texture, and the texture of LFC without MWPC or microbial EPS was excessively firm. Free amino acids were at the highest levels in LFC treatments (2,705.8±122 to 3,070.4±123mg/kg) due to the addition of MWPC and the peptidase activity of adjunct cultures. Aldehydes, alcohols, ketones, sulfur compounds, and short- to medium-chain carboxylic acids differentiated LFC variants and FFC. The sensory attributes pleasant to taste, intensity of flavor, overall acceptability, and pleasant to chew variously described LFC-MWPC-EPS and LFC-MWPC-EPS-A. Based on the technology options used, low-fat Caciotta-type cheese (especially ripened for 14 d) has promising features to be further exploited as a suitable alternative to the full-fat variant.

Modulation of anti-inflammatory response in lipopolysaccharide stimulated human THP-1 cell line and mouse model at gene expression level with indigenous putative probiotic lactobacilli

The anti-inflammatory potential of eight indigenous probiotic Lactobacillus isolates was evaluated in vitro in terms of modulating the expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in human acute monocytic leukemia (THP-1) cells under inflammatory conditions. Amongst these, Lactobacillus plantarum Lp91 was the most potent anti-inflammatory strain as it evoked a significant (P<0.001) down-regulation of TNF-α by -1.45-fold relative to the control in THP-1 cells. However, in terms of IL-6 expression, all the strains could up-regulate its expression considerably at different levels. Hence, based on in vitro expression of TNF-α, Lp91 was selected for in vivo study in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mouse model to look at the expression of TNF-α, IL-6, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM-1) and E-selectin in mouse aorta. In LPS challenged (2h) mice group fed with Lp91 for 10days, TNF-α, IL-6, MCP-1, VCAM-1, ICAM-1 and E-selectin expressions were significantly down-regulated by 3.10-, 10.02-, 4.22-, -3.14-, 2.28- and 5.71-fold relative to control conditions. In conclusion, Lp91 could serve as a candidate probiotic strain to explore it as a possible biotherapeutic anti-inflammatory agent against inflammatory diseases including cardiovascular disease.

Relative expression of bacterial and host specific genes associated with probiotic survival and viability in the mice gut fed with Lactobacillus plantarum Lp91

The present investigation was aimed at studying the relative expression of atpD (a key part of F1F0-ATPase operon), bsh (bile salt hydrolase), mub (mucus-binding protein) and MUC2 (mucin) genes in mouse model for establishing the in vivo functional efficacy of Lactobacillus plantarum Lp91 (MTCC5690) by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The atpD gene was significantly up-regulated to 2.0, 2.4 and 3.2 folds in Lp91 after 15, 30 and 60min transit in the stomach of mice. The maximal significant (P<0.00) level of relative bsh gene expression was recorded in Lp91 with 41.6 fold in comparison to only 5.0 fold in reference strain Lp5276 after seven days of mice feeding. Simultaneously, mub gene expression increased to 12.8 and 22.7 fold in both Lp91 and Lp5276, respectively. The expression level of MUC2 was at the level of 1.6 and 2.1 fold in the host colon on administration with Lp91 and Lp5276 feeding, respectively. Hence, the expression of atpD, bsh, mub, MUC2 could be considered as prospective and potential biomarkers for screening of novel probiotic lactobacillus strains for optimal functionality in the gut.

Synergistic Protection of Combined Probiotic Conditioned Media against Neonatal Necrotizing Enterocolitis-Like Intestinal Injury

Balance among the complex interactions of the gut microbial community is important for intestinal health. Probiotic bacteria can improve bacterial balance and have been used to treat gastrointestinal diseases. Neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a life-threatening inflammatory bowel disorder primarily affecting premature infants. NEC is associated with extensive inflammatory NF-κB signaling activation as well as intestinal barrier disruption. Clinical studies have shown that probiotic administration may protect against NEC, however there are safety concerns associated with the ingestion of large bacterial loads in preterm infants. Bacteria-free conditioned media (CM) from certain probiotic organisms have been shown to retain bioactivity including anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective properties without the risks of live organisms. We hypothesized that the CM from Lactobacillus acidophilus (La), Bifidobacterium infantis (Bi), and Lactobacillus plantarum (Lp), used separately or together would protect against NEC. A rodent model with intestinal injury similar to NEC was used to study the effect of CM from Lp, La/Bi, and La/Bi/Lp on the pathophysiology of NEC. All the CM suppressed NF-κB activation via preserved IκBα expression and this protected IκBα was associated with decreased liver activity of the proteasome, which is the degrading machinery for IκBα. These CM effects also caused decreases in intestinal production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α, a downstream target of the NF-κB pathway. Combined La/Bi and La/Bi/Lp CM in addition protected intestinal barrier function by maintaining tight junction protein ZO-1 levels and localization at the tight junction. Double combined La/Bi CM significantly reduced intestinal injury incidence from 43% to 28% and triple combined La/Bi/Lp CM further reduced intestinal injury incidence to 20%. Thus, this study demonstrates different protective mechanisms and synergistic bioactivity of the CM from different organisms in ameliorating NEC-like intestinal injury in an animal model.

Optimal culture conditions for producing conjugated linoleic acid in skim-milk by co-culture of different Lactobacillus strains

The ability of different Lactobacillus strains to produce conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) was determined. Three species—Lactobacillus plantarum (Lp), Lactobacillus acidophilus (La) and Streptococcus thermophilus (St)—were co-cultured in a medium containing skim-milk supplemented with hydrolyzed safflower oil. This study was aimed at future applications in dairy products. The optimal operation parameters were established by response surface methodology. More CLA was produced by co-culture than by single strain culture. The CLA produced by co-culture of La and Lp (La–Lp) was more than that produced by La and St (La–St). Maximum CLA production of 316.52 μg/mL was obtained with La–Lp co-culture using a substrate concentration of 5.0 %, inoculum size of 5.0 %, an initial medium pH of 6.4 and a temperature of 36.4 °C for 48 h. To our knowledge, this is the first report in the literature of the use of co-cultures of La–St and La–Lp to produce CLA.

Rumen microbial and fermentation characteristics are affected differently by bacterial probiotic supplementation during induced lactic and subacute acidosis in sheep

BackgroundRuminal disbiosis induced by feeding is the cause of ruminal acidosis, a digestive disorder prevalent in high-producing ruminants. Because probiotic microorganisms can modulate the gastrointestinal microbiota, propionibacteria- and lactobacilli-based probiotics were tested for their effectiveness in preventing different forms of acidosis.ResultsLactic acidosis, butyric and propionic subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) were induced by feed chalenges in three groups of four wethers intraruminally dosed with wheat, corn or beet pulp. In each group, wethers were either not supplemented (C) or supplemented with Propionibacterium P63 alone (P) or combined with L. plantarum (Lp + P) or L. rhamnosus (Lr + P). Compared with C, all the probiotics stimulated lactobacilli proliferation, which reached up to 25% of total bacteria during wheat-induced lactic acidosis. This induced a large increase in lactate concentration, which decreased ruminal pH. During the corn-induced butyric SARA, Lp + P decreased Prevotella spp. proportion with a concomitant decrease in microbial amylase activity and total volatile fatty acids concentration, and an increase in xylanase activity and pH. Relative to the beet pulp-induced propionic SARA, P and Lr + P improved ruminal pH without affecting the microbial or fermentation characteristics. Regardless of acidosis type, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis revealed that probiotic supplementations modified the bacterial community structure.ConclusionThis work showed that the effectiveness of the bacterial probiotics tested depended on the acidosis type. Although these probiotics were ineffective in lactic acidosis because of a deeply disturbed rumen microbiota, some of the probiotics tested may be useful to minimize the occurrence of butyric and propionic SARA in sheep. However, their modes of action need to be further investigated.

MICROBIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTIC AND FERMENTABILITY OF KING GRASS (Pennisetum hybrid) SILAGE TREATED BY LACTIC ACID BACTERIAYEAST INOCULANTS CONSORTIUM COMBINED WITH RICE BRAN ADDITION

This research was conducted to evaluate the effect of inoculants consortium consisted ofLactobacillus plantarum (Lp) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Sc) and combined with rice bran additionon microbiological characteristic and fermentability of king grass (Pennisetum hybrid) silage. Effectivityof treatments was assessed by addition of inoculants (control, Lp, Lp+Sc) and level of rice bran (0, 5 and10%) which were arranged on Completely Randomized Design with Teatments Factors (3x3). Thevariables measured were total colonies of microbes (lactic acid bacteria, yeast and clostridia), total gasproduction, volatile fatty acids (VFA) and ammonia (NH3). Results showed that clostridial coloniescounted on silage treated by Lp and Lp+Sc around 37.5% and 68.7% in which lower than control.Addition of inoculants and rice bran increased fermentability of silage significantly (P&lt;0.05), howevertreatment had no affected (P&gt;0.05) on production of VFA and NH3. Gas production from silagefermentable fraction with inoculation of Lp (49.5 ml) and Lp+Sc (47.9 ml) higher than untreated silage(46.6 ml). It was concluded that the use of inoculants consortium consisted of L. plantarum and S.cerevisiae with rice bran addition improved fermentability and reduced clostridial colony in king grasssilage.

OPTIMIZED LACTOBACILLUS PLANTARUM LP6 SOLID-STATE FERMENTATION AND PROTEOLYTIC HYDROLYSIS IMPROVE SOME NUTRITIONAL ATTRIBUTES OF SOYBEAN PROTEIN MEAL

ABSTRACT The solid-state fermentation of soybean protein meal (SPM) by Lactobacillus plantarum Lp6 was studied to evaluate the influence of soluble starch, acid protease and time on the degree of hydrolysis (DH) and viable cell counts (VCC). The fermented SPM (FSPM) was optimized for maximum DH and VCC using response surface methodology. The optimum conditions determined were the following: soluble starch (0.4 g/g of SPM), acid protease (0.1 g/g of SPM) and time (66 h). The optimized values were 22.58% and 9.08 (log cfu/g) for DH and VCC, respectively. Fermentation using the optimized process conditions increased the amount of low molecular weight peptides ( 97.4 kDa). The protein content (60.15%) of FSPM increased following fermentation of SPM. The free amino acids profile (0.32 to 8.03 g/100 g protein) and protein solubility (29.33% to 38.35%) increased significantly (P < 0.01) during fermentation due to the hydrolytic actions of L. plantarum Lp6 and acid protease. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Soybean is one of the best known vegetable protein in the world. During solid-state fermentation process, this study demonstrated that the nutritional attributes of soybean protein meal (SPM) could be enhanced by fermentation with Lactobacillus plantarum Lp6. These results would encourage production of bioactive peptides with the possible cheap source of protein in an industrial scale to improve the nutritional value of SPM. This is bound to increase the volume of SPM as a by-product of soybean oil-processing industries.

Abstract B45: Inhibitory effects of fermented korean red ginseng on Helicobacter pylori-induced gastric inflammation and carcinogenesis

Abstract Helicobacter pylori infection has been implicated in acute gastritis, chronic atrophic gastritis, peptic ulcers as well as gastric cancer. Since we have documented that anti-H. pylori, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, and anti-mutagenic actions of Korean red ginseng and the enhancing anti-inflammatory activities and attenuating anti-inflammatory roles of Lactobacillus plantarum, in the current study, we investigated the effects of L. plantarum-fermented Korean red ginseng on subacute or chronic pathology in H. pylori-infected mouse model. 5-week-old interleukin-10 deficient mice were inoculated with H. pylori (Sidney strain 1), after which L. plantarum (Lp), Korean red ginseng (RG) and fermented Korean red ginseng (FRG) were administrated by drinking water for 14 or 24 weeks. After killing, in addition to gross and pathologic evaluations, the expressions of inflammatory enzymes or cytokines were analyzed by Western blot analysis or ELISA, respectively. H. pylori infection induced the expression of inflammatory enzymes, iNOS and COX-2, and cytokines such as IL-1β and IL-6 in subacute 14 weeks model. Moreover, H. pylori infection significantly provoked tumorigenesis in chronic 24 weeks model. Lp, RG and FRG inhibited the expression of inflammatory enzymes and cytokines in both subacute and chronic models. Among those, FRG showed the significant anti-inflammatory and anti-tumorigenic effects on H. pylori-infected gastric carcinogenesis reflected with decreased incidence of tumor formations. Probiotics fermented Korean red ginseng exerted significant protections against H. pylori infection through attenuating gastritis, rescuing from tumorigenesis and enhancing gastroprotection. We suppose that chronic intake of FRG can be an anticipating strategy in chemoprevention of H. pylori-associated gastric cancer. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2011;4(10 Suppl):B45.

Anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory efficacy of indigenous probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum Lp91 in colitis mouse model

Probiotics can affect the immune homeostasis by altering the gut microbial balance and enhancing the immune system of gut, thus benefits in Inflammatory Bowel Disease, including Crohn's disease and Ulcerative colitis. Relative gene expression of pro, anti-inflammatory cytokines and other molecules in 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced colitis mouse model against Lactobacillus plantarum Lp91 (L. plantarum Lp91) was investigated by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) using relative expression software tool (REST 2008 V2.0.7). L. plantarum Lp91 evoked significant down regulation of TNF-α and COX2 to 0.026 and 0.077 fold in colitis mouse model. No significant difference in expression of IL-12a cytokine in colitis mouse challenged with L. plantarum Lp91 was also observed. IL-10 was significantly up-regulated to 37.813 and 1.327 fold in colitis and non-colitis mouse challenged with L. plantarum Lp91. While, other anti-inflammatory markers i.e. COX1, IL-4 and IL-6 were significantly up regulated in colitis mouse challenged with L. plantarum Lp91. MUC2 gene was significantly up regulated to 2.216 fold in non-colitis group. L. plantarum Lp91, an indigenous probiotic culture, the main subject of this project exhibited strong immunemodulatory properties under in vivo conditions in mouse colitis model.

Effects on weight gain and gut microbiota in rats given bacterial supplements and a high-energy-dense diet from fetal life through to 6 months of age

The aim of the present study was to assess the long-term effects of a high-energy-dense diet, supplemented with Lactobacillus plantarum (Lp) or Escherichia coli (Ec), on weight gain, fattening and the gut microbiota in rats. Since the mother's dietary habits can influence offspring physiology, dietary regimens started with the dams at pregnancy and throughout lactation and continued with the offspring for 6 months. The weight gain of group Lp was lower than that of groups C (control) and Ec (P=0·086). More retroperitoneal adipose tissue (P=0·030) and higher plasma leptin (P=0·035) were observed in group Ec compared with group Lp. The viable count of Enterobacteriaceae was higher in group Ec than in group Lp (P=0·019), and when all animals were compared, Enterobacteriaceae correlated positively with body weight (r 0·428, P=0·029). Bacterial diversity was lower in group Ec than in groups C (P≤0·05) and Lp (P≤0·05). Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia dominated in all groups, but Bacteroidetes were more prevalent in group C than in groups Lp (P=0·036) and Ec (P=0·056). The same five bacterial families dominated the microbiota of groups Ec and C, and four of these were also present in group Lp. The other five families dominating in group Lp were not found in any of the other groups. Multivariate data analysis pointed in the same directions as the univariate statistics. The present results suggest that supplementation of L. plantarum or E. coli can have long-term effects on the composition of the intestinal microbiota, as well as on weight gain and fattening.