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16 pages, 3374 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ST-III and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus KF7 Enhance the Intestinal Epithelial Barrier in a Dual-Environment In Vitro Co-Culture Model

by Yilin Zhang, Rachel C. Anderson, Chunping You, Ajitpal Purba, Minghui Yan, Paul Maclean, Zhenmin Liu and Dulantha Ulluwishewa

Microorganisms 2024, 12(5), 873; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12050873 - 26 Apr 2024

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Abstract

Intestinal barrier hyperpermeability, which is characterised by impaired tight junction proteins, is associated with a variety of gastrointestinal and systemic diseases. Therefore, maintaining intestinal barrier integrity is considered one of the effective strategies to reduce the risk of such disorders. This study aims [...] Read more.

Intestinal barrier hyperpermeability, which is characterised by impaired tight junction proteins, is associated with a variety of gastrointestinal and systemic diseases. Therefore, maintaining intestinal barrier integrity is considered one of the effective strategies to reduce the risk of such disorders. This study aims to investigate the potential benefits of two probiotic strains (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ST-III and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus KF7) on intestinal barrier function by using a physiologically relevant in vitro model of the intestinal epithelium. Our results demonstrate that both strains increased transepithelial electrical resistance, a measure of intestinal barrier integrity. Immunolocalisation studies indicated that this improvement in barrier function was not due to changes in the co-localisation of the tight junction (TJ) proteins ZO-1 and occludin. However, we observed several modifications in TJ-related genes in response to the probiotics, including the upregulation of transmembrane and cytosolic TJ proteins, as well as TJ signalling proteins. Gene expression modulation was strain- and time-dependent, with a greater number of differentially expressed genes and higher fold-change being observed in the L. plantarum ST-III group and at the latter timepoint. Further studies to investigate how the observed gene expression changes can lead to enhanced barrier function will aid in the development of probiotic foods to help improve intestinal barrier function. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Probiotics on Gut Health)

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19 pages, 8847 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bifidobacterium longum LBUX23 Isolated from Feces of a Newborn; Potential Probiotic Properties and Genomic Characterization

by Pedro A. Reyes-Castillo, Raquel González-Vázquez, Edgar Torres-Maravilla, Jessica I. Bautista-Hernández, Eduardo Zúñiga-León, Martha Leyte-Lugo, Leovigildo Mateos-Sánchez, Felipe Mendoza-Pérez, María Angélica Gutiérrez-Nava, Diana Reyes-Pavón, Alejandro Azaola-Espinosa and Lino Mayorga-Reyes

Microorganisms 2023, 11(7), 1648; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11071648 - 24 Jun 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1778

Abstract

Bifidobacterium longum is considered a microorganism with probiotic potential, which has been extensively studied, but these probiotic effects are strain dependent. This work aims to characterize the probiotic potential, based on the biochemical and genomic functionality, of B. longum LBUX23, isolated from neonates’ feces. [...] Read more.

Bifidobacterium longum is considered a microorganism with probiotic potential, which has been extensively studied, but these probiotic effects are strain dependent. This work aims to characterize the probiotic potential, based on the biochemical and genomic functionality, of B. longum LBUX23, isolated from neonates’ feces. B. longum LBUX23 contains one circular genome of 2,287,838 bp with a G+C content of 60.05%, no plasmids, no CRISPR-Cas operon, possesses 56 tRNAs, 9 rRNAs, 1 tmRNA and 1776 coding sequences (CDSs). It has chromosomally encoded resistance genes to ampicillin and dicloxacillin, non-hemolytic activity, and moderate inhibition of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and to some emergent pathogen’s clinical strains. B. longum LBUX23 was able to utilize lactose, sucrose, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), and lactulose. The maximum peak of bacterial growth was observed in sucrose and FOS at 6 h; in lactose and lactulose, it was shown at 8 h. B. longum LBUX23 can survive in gastrointestinal conditions (pH 4 to 7). A decrease in survival (96.5 and 93.8%) was observed at pH 3 and 3.5 during 120 min. argC, argH, and dapA genes could be involved in this tolerance. B. longum LBUX23 can also survive under primary and secondary glyco- or tauro-conjugated bile salts, and a mixture of bile salts due to the high extracellular bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity (67.3 %), in taurocholic acid followed by taurodeoxycholic acid (48.5%), glycocholic acid (47.1%), oxgall (44.3%), and glycodeoxycholic acid (29.7%) probably due to the presence of the cbh and gnlE genes which form an operon (start: 119573 and end: 123812). Low BSH activity was determined intracellularly (<7%), particularly in glycocholic acid; no intracellular activity was shown. B. longum LBUX23 showed antioxidant effects in DPPH radical, mainly in intact cells (27.4%). In the case of hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity, cell debris showed the highest reduction (72.5%). In the cell-free extract, superoxide anion radical scavenging capacity was higher (90.5%). The genome of B. longum LBUX23 contains PNPOx, AhpC, Bcp, trxA, and trxB genes, which could be involved in this activity. Regarding adherence, it showed adherence up to 5% to Caco-2 cells. B. longum LBUX23 showed in vitro potential probiotic properties, mainly in BSH activity and antioxidant capacity, which indicates that it could be a good candidate for antioxidant or anti-cholesterol tests using in vivo models. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Probiotics on Gut Health)

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Review

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14 pages, 348 KiB

Open AccessReview

Gut Probiotics and Health of Dogs and Cats: Benefits, Applications, and Underlying Mechanisms

by Qing Yang and Zhenlong Wu

Microorganisms 2023, 11(10), 2452; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11102452 - 29 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3781

Abstract

Pets (mostly domestic dogs and cats) play an important role in the daily lives of humans and their health has attracted growing attention from pet owners. The intestinal microbiota, a complex microbial community with barrier-protective, nutritional, metabolic, and immunological functions, is integral to [...] Read more.

Pets (mostly domestic dogs and cats) play an important role in the daily lives of humans and their health has attracted growing attention from pet owners. The intestinal microbiota, a complex microbial community with barrier-protective, nutritional, metabolic, and immunological functions, is integral to host health. Dysbiosis has been related to a variety of diseases in humans and animals. Probiotics have been used in functional foods and dietary supplements to modulate intestinal microbiota and promote host health, which has been introduced in pet dogs and cats in recent years. Various canine- and feline-derived probiotic strains have been isolated and characterized. The administration of probiotics has shown positive effects on the gut health and can alleviate some intestinal diseases and disorders in dogs and cats, although the underlying mechanisms are largely unresolved. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the benefits of probiotics and discuss their possible mechanisms in dogs and cats in order to provide new insights for the further development and application of probiotics in pets. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Probiotics on Gut Health)

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