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Probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus shows promise for treating inflammatory bowel disease and other intestinal inflammation disorders
Probiotic strain LA1 has a therapeutic effect that both prevents and treats intestinal inflammatory disorders caused by “leaky gut,” report researchers in The American Journal of Pathology
Philadelphia, April 20, 2021 – Intestinal epithelial tight junctions (TJs) act as a functional and structural barrier against harmful antigens that promote intestinal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other inflammatory conditions of the gut. A defective intestinal TJ barrier, sometimes known as “leaky gut,” plays an important role in exacerbating and prolonging intestinal inflammation. New research reported in The American Journal of Pathology, published by Elsevier, shows that the probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus) strain known as LA1 can generate a rapid and sustained enhancement of this defective intestinal barrier and effectively treat intestinal inflammation by preserving and restoring the intestinal barrier.
The use of probiotics has emerged as a therapy for a number of intestinal disorders, including IBD and necrotizing enterocolitis; however, specific probiotic bacteria with true beneficial effects on intestinal disease need to be identified. In this study researchers used high-throughput screening to assess over 20 probiotic bacteria to determine their ability to increase intestinal barrier function, using both a cell culture model of the intestinal epithelial lining and live mice.
The probiotic bacterial species L. acidophilus, specifically the LA1 strain, produced a rapid and marked increase in intestinal TJ barrier; other strains within L. acidophilus had no effect. The researchers found that this particular strain interacted with intestinal cells in a unique way to activate pathways that tightened the intestinal barrier, treating intestinal inflammation. It attaches to the intestinal epithelial membrane surface by directly interacting with the toll-like receptor–2 complex, which alerts the intestine to trigger an immune response.
Caption: Lactobacillus acidophilus (LA1) (Credit: Rana Al-Sadi, PhD).
The researchers also performed in vivo proof-of-concept studies in live mice to investigate the effect of LA1 and another strain, LA3, in the enhancement of mouse intestinal barrier and the therapeutic efficacy of LA1 in maintaining intestinal barrier and protecting against induced colitis. They found that LA1, but not LA3, caused rapid and marked enhancement of small intestine and colonic epithelial barrier in mice. Treatment studies after the onset of colitis found that LA1 was also effective in the healing of intestinal barrier and colitis.
“Our data indicate that LA1 is able to prevent colonic inflammation formation and promote colitis healing,” said lead investigator Thomas Ma, MD, PhD, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA. “The implications of the present findings are that this bacterial strain can be used in a wide variety of intestinal permeability disorders, including IBD, coeliac disease, alcoholic liver disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and necrotizing enterocolitis, to treat inflammation associated with the leaky gut.”
L. acidophilus is found in various brands of yogurt including Chobani, Dannon, Siggi’s, Stonyfield, and Yoplait.
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Notes for editors The article is “Lactobacillus acidophilus Induces a Strain-specific and Toll-Like Receptor–2 Dependent Enhancement of Intestinal Epithelial Tight Junction Barrier and Protection Against Intestinal Inflammation,” by Rana Al-Sadi, Prashant Nighot, Meghali Nighot, Mohammad Haque, Manmeet Rawat, and Thomas Y. Ma (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpath.2021.02.003). It appears online in advance of The American Journal of Pathology, volume 191, issue 5 (May 2021) published by Elsevier.
This work was supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases grants R0-1-DK-64165-01 (T.Y.M.), R0-1-DK-106072-01 (T.Y.M.), R01-DK-121073-01 (T.Y.M.), R01-DK-114024 (P.N), and K01-DK-100562 (P.N.); Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America grant 326502 (R.A.); and funding support from the J. Lloyd Huck Endowment.
To request the full text of the study contact Eileen Leahy at +1 732 238 3628 or [email protected]. Journalists wishing to interview the authors should contact Thomas Y. Ma, MD, PhD, at +1 717 531 5014 or [email protected].
About The American Journal of Pathology The American Journal of Pathology, official journal of the American Society for Investigative Pathology, published by Elsevier, seeks high-quality original research reports, reviews, and commentaries related to the molecular and cellular basis of disease. The editors will consider basic, translational, and clinical investigations that directly address mechanisms of pathogenesis or provide a foundation for future mechanistic inquiries. Examples of such foundational investigations include data mining, identification of biomarkers, molecular pathology, and discovery research. High priority is given to studies of human disease and relevant experimental models using molecular, cellular, and organismal approaches. http://ajp.amjpathol.org
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