Lactobacillus with probiotic potential from homemade cheese in Azerbijan

Effect of Continuous Feeding of Ayu-Narezushi on Lipid Metabolism in a Mouse Model of Metabolic Syndrome

Ayu-narezushi, a traditional Japanese fermented food, comprises abundant levels of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and free amino acids. This study aimed to examine the potential beneficial effects of ayu-narezushi and investigated whether ayu-narezushi led to improvements in the Tsumura Suzuki obese diabetes (TSOD) mice model of spontaneous metabolic syndrome because useful LAB are known as probiotics that regulate intestinal function. In the present study, the increased body weight of the TSOD mice was attenuated in those fed the ayu-narezushi-comprised chow (ayu-narezushi group) compared with those fed the normal rodent chow (control group). Serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels were significantly lower in the Ayu-narezushi group than in the control group at 24 weeks of age. Furthermore, hepatic mRNA levels of carnitine-palmitoyl transferase 1 and acyl-CoA oxidase, which related to fatty acid oxidation, were significantly increased in the ayu-narezushi group than in the control group at 24 weeks of age. In conclusion, these results suggested that continuous feeding with ayu-narezushi improved obesity and dyslipidemia in the TSOD mice and that the activation of fatty acid oxidation in the liver might contribute to these improvements.

Phytase-Producing Potential and Other Functional Attributes of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolates for Prospective Probiotic Applications

Wide variations among multifaceted-health benefitting attributes of probiotics fueled investigations on targeting efficacious probiotics. In the current study, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from poultry gut, feces of rat, chicken, human infants, and fermented foods were characterized for desired probiotic functional properties including the phytase-producing ability which is one of the wanted characteristics for probiotics for potential applications for upgrading animal nutrition, enhancing feed conversion, and minimizing anti-nutritional properties. Among 62 LAB isolates Weissella kimchii R-3 an isolate from poultry gut exhibited substantial phytase-producing ability (1.77 U/ml) in addition to other functional probiotic characteristics viz. hydrophobicity, autoaggregation, coaggregation with bacterial pathogens, and antimicrobial activity against pathogens. Survival of W. kimchii R-3 cells (in free and calcium alginate encapsulated state) was examined sequentially in simulated gastric and intestinal juices. Encapsulated cells exhibited better survival under simulated gut conditions indicating that encapsulation conferred considerable protection against adverse gut conditions. Furthermore, simulated gastric and intestinal juices with pepsin and pancreatin showed higher survival of cells than the juices without pepsin and pancreatin. W. kimchii R-3 due to its significant functional probiotic attributes may have prospective for commercial applications in human/animal nutrition.

Lactobacillus plantarum induces apoptosis in oral cancer KB cells through upregulation of PTEN and downregulation of MAPK signalling pathways

Introduction: The oral tumor is the sixth most prevalent type of cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Although chemotherapy and immunotherapy are the main strategies for the treatment of oral cancer, an emergence of inevitable resistance to these treatment modalities is the major drawback that causes recurrence of the disease. Nowadays, probiotics have been suggested as adjunctive and complementary treatment modalities for improving the impacts of chemotherapy and immunotherapy agents. Probiotics, the friendly microflora in our bodies, contribute to the production of useful metabolites with positive effects on the immune system against various diseases such as cancer. Methods:Lactobacillus plantarum is one of the most important bacteria, which commensally live in the human oral system. In the current study, the impacts of L. plantarum on maintaining oral system health were investigated, and the molecular mechanisms of inhibition of oral cancer KB cells mediated by L. plantarum were evaluated using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and FACS flow cytometry analyses. Results: Our findings showed that L. plantarum is effective in the signal transduction of the oral cancer cells through upregulation and downregulation of PTEN and MAPK pathways, respectively. Conclusion: Based on the biological effects of oral candidate probiotics candidate bacterium L. plantarum on functional expression of PTEN and MAPK pathways, this microorganism seems to play a key role in controlling undesired cancer development in the oral system. Taken all, L. plantarum is proposed as a potential candidate for probiotics cancer therapy.

The Investigation of the Diversity of Lactobacilli Spp. and Assessment Their Some Probiotic Properties in Traditional Dairy Products in East Azerbaijan Province in Iran

Nowadays, there is an increasing interest in the production of functional foods, particularly probiotic foods. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) particularly strains of Lactobacillus are important bacteria in food microbiology and human nutrition due to their ability to fermented food production and have received considerable attention as probiotics. The traditional fermented dairy foods as a rich source of wild LAB can introduce new Lactobacillus strain with probiotic properties into food products. So, the present study was aimed to isolate and identify Lactobacilli spp. in traditional dairy products and to assess some of their probiotic properties. For this study, fifty samples including homemade yogurt and cheese were purchased from several rural areas and the intragenic transcribed spacer-PCR (16-23s rDNA) was used for identification of Lactobacilli. Some probiotic properties were assayed including resistant to acid and bile, antimicrobial activity, and antibiotic susceptibility. The isolates were characterized as L.plantarum, L.casei, L.paracasei and L.rhamnosus. Out of the fifty-six isolates identified phenotypically as lactobacillus, twenty-four strains were tolerant to pH 2.5 and 0.3% bile salt after 3 h of incubation and only 6 strains showed antimicrobial activity and antibiotic susceptibility. In conclusion, six strains showed potentially probiotic properties including resistant to acid and bile, antimicrobial activity and antibiotic susceptibility. So, we can consider these strains as native probiotic but extra examinations were required for introduction into food products.

Antagonistic activity of probiotic lactobacilli against human enteropathogenic bacteria in homemade tvorog curd cheese from Azerbaijan

Introduction: Human health is deemed to be maintained by the crosstalk among the body and probiotic bacteria. Disruptions in this composition are associated with the pathogenesis of numerous diseases. Through modernization, traditional foods consumption has been abandoned and native food starters have been substituted with industrial products. Hence, we aimed to isolate and evaluate probiotic bacteria from traditional fermented foods which can be used as probiotics as well as starter cultures in food industry and in medicine against antibiotic resistant pathogenes. To this end, an intact village was recognized in the Republic of Azerbaijan with traditional dairy products, yielding a variety of potential probiotics.

Methods: In this study, tvorog as a traditional dairy product from Dashkasan, Ismailli and khachmaz regions in Azerbaijan was characterized for the isolation of Lactobacilli with probiotic potentiality. The bacteria were tested for the resistance to the acid, bile, and the antagonistic effect of human pathogenic bacteria. The isolates were identified by 16s rDNA sequencing with a blast to the databank.

Results: Three species with higher homology to the L. planetarium, L. rhamnosus, and L. casei with high probiotic potentiality and antibacterial effects were isolated.

Conclusion: Homemade tvorog curd cheese in Azerbaijan harbor a variety of probiotics with industrial applications as well as potentiality to be preserved in a biobank for the future medicinal applications especially against antibiotic resistant pathogenes.