Lactic Acid Bacteria As Probiotics
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Curr. Issues Intestinal Microbiol. 7: 73–90. Online journal at www.ciim.net Lactic Acid Bacteria as Probiotics Åsa Ljungh* and Torkel Wadström Introduction Probiotics are defned as “living micro-organisms, which Department of Medical Microbiology, Dermatology and upon ingestion in certain numbers, exert health benefts Infection, Lund University, Sölvegatan 23, SE-223 62 beyond inherent basic nutrition” (Guarner and Schaafsma, Lund, Sweden 1998; Tannock, 2002) but interest in this area was initiated by Metschnikov 100 years ago (Metschnikoff,1907). Abstract Most probiotic microorganisms belong to Lactic Acid A number of Lactobacillus species, Bifdobacterium sp, Bacteria (LAB), such as Lactobacillus sp, Bifdobacterium Saccharomyces boulardii, and some other microbes sp and Enterococcus sp (Klein et al., 1998). The yeast have been proposed as and are used as probiotic strains, Saccharomyces boulardii has been studied extensively i.e. live microorganisms as food supplement in order (Elmer et al., 1999) and also other bacterial species, like to beneft health. The health claims range from rather Bacillus sp (Senesi et al., 2001) and Clostridium butyricum vague as regulation of bowel activity and increasing of (Takahashi et al., 2004). In some countries the use of well-being to more specifc, such as exerting antagonistic Enterococcus sp as a probiotic has been questioned effect on the gastroenteric pathogens Clostridium because of safety aspects with regard to transfer of genes diffcile, Campylobacter jejuni, Helicobacter pylori and conferring antibiotic resistance (Lund and Edlund, 2001). rotavirus, neutralising food mutagens produced in colon, Most scientists agree that probiotic strains shall be able shifting the immune response towards a Th2 response, to survive transit through the gastric acid environment and thereby alleviating allergic reactions, and lowering as well as exposure to bile and pancreatic juice in the serum cholesterol (Tannock, 2002). Unfortunately, most upper small intestine to be able to exert benefcial effects publications are case reports, uncontrolled studies in in the lower small intestine and the colon, although humans, or reports of animal or in vitro studies. there are convincing data on benefcial immunological Whether or not the probiotic strains employed shall effects also from dead cells (Mottet and Michetti, 2005). be of human origin is a matter of debate but this is not a Best effect is achieved if the microorganisms colonise matter of concern, as long as the strains can be shown the intestinal surface mucus layer since they then can to survive the transport in the human gastrointestinal affect the intestinal immune system, displace enteric (GI) tract and to colonise the human large intestine. pathogens, provide antioxidants and antimutagens, and This includes survival in the stressful environment of possibly other effects by cell signalling. That intake of the stomach – acidic pH and bile – with induction of LAB infuences multiple systems was elegantly shown for new genes encoding a number of stress proteins. Since Lactobacillus GG using microarray analysis (Di Caro et the availability of antioxidants decreases rostrally in the al., 2005). One month treatment resulted in up-regulation GI tract production of antioxidants by colonic bacteria of 334 genes and down-regulation of 92 genes involved provides a benefcial effect in scavenging free radicals. in infammation, apoptosis, cell-cell signalling, cell LAB strains commonly produce antimicrobial substance(s) adhesion and differentiation and signal transcription and with activity against the homologous strain, but LAB transduction. strains also often produce microbicidal substances with In recent years, multiple reports have described effect against gastric and intestinal pathogens and other benefcial effects from various aspects on important microbes, or compete for cell surface and mucin binding diseases, like intestinal infections, infammatory bowel sites. This could be the mechanism behind reports that disease (IBD), and allergy by addition of selected strains some probiotic strains inhibit or decrease translocation to food products, often together with fber or a prebiotic of bacteria from the gut to the liver. A protective effect substance. In many countries, there are now several against cancer development can be ascribed to binding of probiotic products on the market but the documentation mutagens by intestinal bacteria, reduction of the enzymes is often based upon case reports, animal studies or B-glucuronidase and B-glucosidase, and deconjugation of uncontrolled small clinical trials. Furthermore, there is bile acids, or merely by enhancing the immune system of no general acceptance on how to characterize probiotic the host. The latter has attracted considerable interest, microorganisms, and few products declare the actual and LAB have been tested in several clinical trials in content of live microorganisms. allergic diseases. Characteristics ascribed to a probiotic strain are in general strain specifc, and individual strains Cell surface properties mediating adhesion have to be tested for each property. Survival of strains Mechanisms of adherence to an epithelial surface during production, packing and storage of a viable cell involve both receptor-specifc binding and charge and mass has to be tested and declared. hydrophobic interaction. LAB commonly express cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) as measured by the Salt Aggregation Test (SAT), contact angle and adhesion to xylene (Wadström et al., 1987; Strus et al., 2001). Some *For correspondence: [email protected] © Horizon Scientifc Press. Offprints from www.ciim.net Further Reading Caister Academic Press is a leading academic publisher of advanced texts in microbiology, molecular biology and medical research. 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Kolenbrander, 2000). This mechanism may facilitate Resistance to pH 4