A systematic review on selection characterization and implementation of probiotics in human health

Multi-strain probiotic formula modulates expression of β-defensin-2, β-defensin-3, and TLR-4 in male rats with apical periodontitis

OBJECTIVE

Evaluate whether a multi-strain probiotic formula affects blood parameters (hematologic, calcium, and phosphorus levels) and alters the expression of β-defensin-2, β-defensin-3, and toll-like receptor 4 in male rats with induced apical periodontitis (AP).

DESIGN

Wistar rats were divided into two groups (n = 8 each): (1) rats with AP on a regular diet (Control) and (2) rats with AP on a regular diet supplemented with the multi-strain probiotic GNC Probiotic Complex (GCP) at one billion CFU. AP was induced by exposing the dental pulp of the first molars to the oral environment. GCP was administered daily via gavage for 30 days during AP development. After 30 days, animals were anesthetized, a cardiac puncture was performed, and 5 mL of blood was collected for hematologic, calcium, and phosphorus analysis. Animals were then euthanized, and mandibles were removed for histological and immunochemical analysis of β-defensin-2, β-defensin-3, and toll-like receptor 4. Statistical analyses used Mann-Whitney U and Student's t-tests, with significance at P < 0.05.

RESULTS

No significant differences were observed in blood parameters between the Control and GCP groups (P > 0.05). In AP, the Control group showed more intense inflammatory infiltrates and higher median severity scores than the GCP group (P < 0.05). Immunoreactivity levels for β-defensin-2, β-defensin-3, and toll-like receptor 4 were significantly increased in the GCP group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Probiotic complex reduces inflammation and enhances immunolabeling of β-defensin-2, β-defensin-3, and toll-like receptor 4 in AP.

The Influence of Cecal Microbiota Transplantation on Chicken Injurious Behavior: Perspective in Human Neuropsychiatric Research

Numerous studies have evidenced that neuropsychiatric disorders (mental illness and emotional disturbances) with aggression (or violence) pose a significant challenge to public health and contribute to a substantial economic burden worldwide. Especially, social disorganization (or social inequality) associated with childhood adversity has long-lasting effects on mental health, increasing the risk of developing neuropsychiatric disorders. Intestinal bacteria, functionally as an endocrine organ and a second brain, release various immunomodulators and bioactive compounds directly or indirectly regulating a host's physiological and behavioral homeostasis. Under various social challenges, stress-induced dysbiosis increases gut permeability causes serial reactions: releasing neurotoxic compounds, leading to neuroinflammation and neuronal injury, and eventually neuropsychiatric disorders associated with aggressive, violent, or impulsive behavior in humans and various animals via a complex bidirectional communication of the microbiota-gut-brain (MGB) axis. The dysregulation of the MGB axis has also been recognized as one of the reasons for the prevalence of social stress-induced injurious behaviors (feather pecking, aggression, and cannibalistic pecking) in chickens. However, existing knowledge of preventing and treating these disorders in both humans and chickens is not well understood. In previous studies, we developed a non-mammal model in an abnormal behavioral investigation by rationalizing the effects of gut microbiota on injurious behaviors in chickens. Based on our earlier success, the perspective article outlines the possibility of reducing stress-induced injurious behaviors in chickens through modifying gut microbiota via cecal microbiota transplantation, with the potential for providing a biotherapeutic rationale for preventing injurious behaviors among individuals with mental disorders via restoring gut microbiota diversity and function.

Non-lactic acid bacteria probiotics isolated from intestine or various circumstances

Probiotics are live microorganisms beneficial to host health, predominantly comprising lactic acid bacteria (LAB) such as Lactobacillus. Additional non-LAB probiotics, termed intestinal isolates, encompass next-generation strains like Akkermansia muciniphila, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Christensenella minuta, Anaerobutyricum soehngenii, Oxalobacter formigenes, etc. and alongside externally sourced Bacillus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Clostridium butyricum, and Propionibacterium. Intestinal-derived probiotics represent strictly anaerobic strains with challenging culturing requirements, contrasting with the aerobic nature of Bacillus probiotics and the ease of culturing S. cerevisiae. These strains exhibit diverse health-promoting properties, encompassing antimicrobial, anticancer, antioxidant, and vitamin production capabilities, albeit contingent upon strain specificity. This review delineates the characteristics, culturing conditions, and health advantages associated with non-LAB probiotics.

Probiotic and immunostimulating effects of live and heat-killed Pediococcus pentosaceus TAP041

The selected strain, TAP041, showing an excellent ability to reduce the glyoxal and methylglyoxal levels, was identified by 16S rRNA gene-based phylogenetic analysis as Pediococcus pentosaceus. It demonstrated probiotic properties, including acid, bile salt, pancreatin, lysozyme tolerance, gut adhesion, and auto/coaggregation. In RAW264.7 macrophages, both live and heat-killed strains induced nitric oxide production and activated inducible nitric oxide synthase. RAW264.7 treated with P. pentosaceus TAP041 increased the expression level of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and cyclooxygenase-2, and regulated the expression of c-Jun amino-terminal kinase, p38, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase. These findings suggest that both live and heat-killed P. pentosaceus TAP041 can be used as potential immunostimulatory agents in functional food additives.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-024-01530-2.

Acid tolerance responses and their mechanisms in Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LM1001

This study investigated the acid tolerance responses of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LM1001 at physiological and molecular levels. Upon exposure to low pH, L. plantarum LM1001 demonstrated increased ATPase activity and ammonia consumption, which contributed to a higher intracellular pH. Comparative analysis of cell membrane fatty acids revealed that acid-stressed cells had a significantly higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids than those of unstressed cells. There was differential upregulation of several genes, notably those involved in alkali production (arcB, argG, and argH) and in class I and class III stress responses (clpE, clpP, hrcA, dnaK, grpE, groEL, and groES). Following 2-h exposure to pH 2.5, L. plantarum LM1001 not only exhibited enhanced survival but also showed increased auto-aggregation and improved mucin adhesion capability, albeit with a reduction in hydrophobicity. These findings indicate that acid stress induces adaptive physiological and metabolic changes in L. plantarum LM1001, enhancing its acid resistance and adherence properties.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-024-01582-4.

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LM1001 Improves Digestibility of Branched-Chain Amino Acids in Whey Proteins and Promotes Myogenesis in C2C12 Myotubes

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum is a valuable potential probiotic species with various proven health-beneficial effects. L. plantarum LM1001 strain was selected among ten strains of L. plantarum based on proteolytic activity on whey proteins. L. plantarum LM1001 produced higher concentrations of total free amino acids and branched-chain amino acids (Ile, Leu, and Val) than other L. plantarum strains. Treatment of C2C12 myotubes with whey protein culture supernatant (1%, 2% and 3%, v/v) using L. plantarum LM1001 significantly increased the expression of myogenic regulatory factors, such as Myf-5, MyoD, and myogenin, reflecting the promotion of myotubes formation (p<0.05). L. plantarum LM1001 displayed β-galactosidase activity but did not produce harmful β-glucuronidase. Thus, the intake of whey protein together with L. plantarum LM1001 has the potential to aid protein digestion and utilization.

Rheumatoid arthritis and the intestinal microbiome: probiotics as a potential therapy

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disorder characterized by swollen joints, discomfort, stiffness, osteoporosis, and reduced functionality. Genetics, smoking, dust inhalation, high BMI, and hormonal and gut microbiota dysbiosis are all likely causes of the onset or development of RA, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Compared to healthy controls, patients with RA have a significantly different composition of gut microbiota. It is well known that the human gut microbiota plays a key role in the initiation, maintenance, and operation of the host immune system. Gut microbiota dysbiosis has local or systematic adverse effects on the host immune system, resulting in host susceptibility to various diseases, including RA. Studies on the intestinal microbiota modulation and immunomodulatory properties of probiotics have been reported, in order to identify their potential possibility in prevention and disease activity control of RA. This review summarized current studies on the role and potential mechanisms of gut microbiota in the development and progression of RA, as well as the preventative and therapeutic effects and potential mechanisms of probiotics on RA. Additionally, we proposed the challenges and difficulties in the application of probiotics in RA, providing the direction for the research and application of probiotics in the prevention of RA.

Probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KU210152 and its fermented soy milk attenuates oxidative stress in neuroblastoma cells

We evaluated the probiotic properties and neuroprotective effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KU210152 and its application in soy milk. L. plantarum KU210152 exhibited high tolerance to artificial gastrointestinal conditions, high adhesion to intestinal cells (HT-29), and safe enzyme production. Conditioned medium acquired from HT-29 cells treated with heat-killed lactic acid bacteria (LAB-CM) was used to evaluate the neuroprotective effects. The CM exhibited neuroprotective effects via cell viability assay, morphological observations, and suppression of ROS production. Heat-killed L. plantarum KU210152 increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression in HT-29 cells. In SH-SY5Y cells, pretreatment with L. plantarum KU210152 CM decreased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and upregulated BDNF and TH expression. The CM inhibited caspase-9 and caspase-3 activities. The neuroprotective effects of L. plantarum KU210152 were also confirmed in fermented soy milk. Therefore, both L. plantarum KU210152 and the fermented soy milk can be used as functional ingredients with neuroprotective effects against oxidative stress.

The Potential Impact of Probiotics on Human Health: An Update on Their Health-Promoting Properties

Probiotics, known to be live microorganisms, have been shown to improve or restore the gut microbiota, which in turn has been linked to improved health. It is believed that probiotics are the modern equivalent of a panacea, with claims that they may treat or prevent different diseases both in children and adults (e.g., from colic in babies to cardiovascular disease, respiratory infection, and cancer in adults). Ever since the early 2000s, probiotic-based fermented foods have had a resurgence in popularity, mostly due to claims made regarding their health benefits. Fermented foods have been associated with the prevention of irritable bowel syndrome, lactose intolerance, gastroenteritis, and obesity, but also other conditions such as chronic diarrhea, allergies, dermatitis, and bacterial and viral infections, all of which are closely related to an unhealthy lifestyle. Recent and ongoing developments in microbiome/microbiota science have given us new research directions for probiotics. The new types, mechanisms, and applications studied so far, and those currently under study, have a great potential to change scientific understanding of probiotics' nutritional applications and human health care. The expansion of fields related to the study of the microbiome and the involvement of probiotics in its improvement foreshadow an era of significant changes. An expanding range of candidate probiotic species is emerging that can address newly elucidated data-driven microbial niches and host targets. In the probiotic field, new variants of microbiome-modulating interventions are being developed, including prebiotics, symbiotics, postbiotics, microbial consortia, live biotherapeutic products, and genetically modified organisms, with renewed interest in polyphenols, fibers, and fermented foods to ensure human health. This manuscript aims to analyze recent, emerging, and anticipated trends in probiotics (sources, doses, mechanism of action, diseases for which probiotics are administered, side effects, and risks) and create a vision for the development of related areas of influence in the field.

Paraprobiotics: definition, manufacturing methods, and functionality

Probiotics are living microorganisms that are beneficial to the host, enhancing the immune response by promoting antibody production, regulating cytokine secretion, and stimulating T cells. However, probiotics have limitations in that they require viability control and have a short shelf life. Recently, the use of paraprobiotics has gained attention. These include dead bacterial cells, bacterial fractions, and cell lysate that have health benefits and are stable and safe for use. Paraprobiotics comprise molecules of bacterial cell wall compounds, such as peptidoglycans, teichoic acids, polysaccharides, and cell surface proteins. Paraprobiotics are manufactured by a diverse range of techniques, including thermal treatments, high pressure, ultraviolet rays, sonication, ionizing radiation, and pH modification. Their beneficial health effects include immunomodulatory, intestinal balancing, anticancer, and antimicrobial activities. Therefore, this review summarizes and discusses the manufacturing methods and bioavailability of paraprobiotics and suggests their potential health advantages.