Jae Eun Park

Probiotic bacteria, B. longum and L. acidophilus inhibit infection by rotavirus in vitro and decrease the duration of diarrhea in pediatric patients

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Evidence suggests that specific probiotics may be antagonistic to enteric pathogens and enhance immunity, and thus, provide a means of preventing or treating diarrheal diseases. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of probiotic strains isolated from Koreans for the treatment of viral gastroenteritis in young children and against rotavirus in vitro. METHODS In vitro antiviral activities of probiotic isolates on rotavirus infection were investigated in the Vero cell using a plaque reduction assay. Then several probiotic strains with the high antiviral activity were chosen for further clinical trials. Twenty-nine pediatric patients who presented with symptoms of viral gastroenteritis were enrolled in a double-blind trial and randomly assigned at admission to receive six probiotic strains (Bifidobacterium longum, B. lactis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. rhamnosus, L. plantarum, and Pediococcus pentosaceus) at a dose of 10(9) colony forming units/g or a comparable placebo twice daily for 1 week. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Of the tested probiotic strains, B. longum isolated from an infant showed the greatest inhibitory effect and L. acidophilus showed the second-highest inhibitory effect. These probiotics significantly shortened the duration of diarrhea as compared with a placebo (6.1 ± 0.5 vs 7.2 ± 1.9, P = 0.030) and did not induce any adverse effects. Our findings suggest that the probiotic strains selected in the present study may be useful for the treatment of acute rotaviral gastroenteritis or as an alternative therapy without adverse effects.

Antiviral activity of Bifidobacterium adolescentis SPM1605 against Coxsackievirus B3.

Bifidobacteria are considered one of the most beneficial probiotics and have been widely studied for their effects against specific pathogens. The present study investigated the antiviral activity of probiotics isolated from Koreans against Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3). The effect of probiotic isolates against CVB3 was measured by the plaque assay and cellular toxicity of bifidobacteria in HeLa cells was measured using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Among 13 probiotic isolates, 3 Bifidobacterium adolescentis, 2 Bifidobacterium longum and 1 Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum had an antiviral effect against CVB3, while the others did not show such effect. B. adolescentis SPM1605 showed the greatest inhibitory properties against CVB3. When the threshold cycle (CT) values for the treated B. adolescentis SPM1605 samples were compared to the results for the non-treated samples, it was shown that the amplified viral sequences from the CVB3 had their copy number lowered by B. adolescentis SPM1605. Moreover, the gene expression in infected HeLa cells was also inhibited by 50%. The results suggest that B. adolescentis SPM1605 suppresses CVB3 and could be used as an alternative therapy against infectious diseases caused by coxsackieviruses.

Hepatoprotective effects of dual-coated and uncoated mixture of probiotics in rats

Probiotics have been used for the treatment of various disorders or as alternative therapies. The stability of dual-coated probiotics is increased in the gastrointestinal environment. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the hepatoprotective effects of dual-coated and uncoated probiotic supplements, following liver injury. Albino Wistar rats were orally treated with probiotics daily and carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) was administered on the seventh and eighth days to induce acute liver damage. Hepatoprotective effects were determined by assessment of serum glutamic–oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) and serum glutamic–pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) activities, as well as by histopathological examination. The CCl4-treated control group showed increased SGOT and SGPT activities as compared with the normal control group. However, treatment with probiotics reduced SGOT and SGPT activities, following CCl4 administration. Animals treated with probiotics showed reduced liver weight than that in the standard CCl4 group which did not receive probiotics. Histopathological analysis showed that administration of probiotics minimized liver damage by reducing the level of morphological changes and necrosis. Therefore, probiotics may be effective hepatoprotective agents and should be considered useful for the treatment and prevention of hepatic disorders.