• Food Science of Animal Resources
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.368-375
• /
• 2017

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is the main cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea that can cause colitis or even death. The medical-treatment cost and deaths caused by CDI are increasing annually worldwide. New approaches for prevention and treatment of these infections are needed, such as the use of probiotics. Probiotics, including Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus, are microorganisms that confer a health benefit to the host when administered in adequate amounts. The effect of Bifidobacterium longum ATCC 15707 on infectious disease caused by C. difficile 027 was investigated in a mouse model. The survival rates for mice given the pathogen alone, and with live cells, or dead cells of B. longum were 40, 70, and 60%, respectively. In addition, the intestinal tissues of the B. longum-treated group maintained structural integrity with some degree of damage. These findings suggested that B. longum ATCC 15707 has a function in repressing the infectious disease caused by C. difficile 027.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.26 no.10
• /
• pp.1723-1735
• /
• 2016

Pyrosequencing analysis of intestinal microflora from healthy Thai vegetarians and non-vegetarians exhibited 893 OTUs covering 189 species. The strong species indicators of vegetarians and non-vegetarians were Prevotella copri and Bacteroides vulgatus as well as bacteria close to Escherichia hermanii with % relative abundance of 16.9 and 4.5-4.7, respectively. Core gut microbiota of the vegetarian and non-vegetarian groups consisted of 11 and 20 different bacterial species, respectively, belonging to Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria commonly found in both groups. Two species, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Gemmiger formicilis, had a prevalence of 100% in both groups. Three species, Clostridium nexile, Eubacterium eligens, and P. copri, showed up in most vegetarians, whereas more diversity of Collinsella aerofaciens, Ruminococcus torques, various species of Bacteroides, Parabacteroides, Escherichia, and different species of Clostridium and Eubacterium were found in most non-vegetarians. Considering the correlation of personal characters, consumption behavior, and microbial groups, the age of non-vegetarians showed a strong positive correlation coefficient of 0.54 (p = 0.001) to Bacteroides uniformis but exhibited a moderate one to Alistipes finegoldii and B. vulgatus. Only a positive moderate correlation of body mass index and Parabacteroides distasonis appeared. Based on the significant abundance of potential pathogens, the microbiota of the non-vegetarian group showed an abundance of potential pathogen varieties of Bilophila wadsworthia, Escherichia coli, and E. hermannii, whereas that of the vegetarian group served for only Klebsiella pneumoniae. These results implied that the microbiota of vegetarians with high abundance of P. copri and low potential pathogen variety would be a way to maintain good health in Thais.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.479-491
• /
• 2015

Lactobacillus species have been shown to enhance intestinal epithelial barrier function, modulate host immune responses, and suppress the growth of pathogenic bacteria, yeasts, molds, and viruses. Thus, lactobacilli have been used as probiotics for treating various diseases, including intestinal disorders, and as biological preservatives in the food and agricultural industries. However, the molecular mechanisms used by lactobacilli to suppress pathogenic bacterial infections have been poorly characterized. We previously isolated Lactobacillus plantarum JSA22 from buckwheat sokseongjang, a traditional Korean fermented soybean food, which possessed high enzymatic, fibrinolytic, and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against foodborne pathogens. In this study, we investigated the effects of L. plantarum JSA22 on the growth of S. Typhimurium and S. Typhimurium-induced cytotoxicity by stimulating the host immune response in intestinal epithelial cells. The results showed that coincubation of S. Typhimurium and L. plantarum JSA22 with intestinal epithelial cells suppressed S. Typhimurium infection, S. Typhimurium-induced NF-κB activation, and IL-8 production, and lowered the phosphorylation of both Akt and p38. These data indicated that L. plantarum JSA22 has probiotic properties, and can inhibit S. Typhimurium infection of intestinal epithelial cells. Our findings can be used to develop therapeutic and prophylactic agents against pathogenic bacteria.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.212-219
• /
• 2022

Recently, the efficacy of probiotics in treatment of neurodegenerative disorders has been reported in animal and clinical studies. Here, we assessed the effects of Bacillus coagulans JA845 in counteracting the symptoms of D-galactose (D-gal)/AlCl₃-induced Alzheimer's disease (AD) in a mice model through behavioral test, histological assessment and biochemical analysis. Ten weeks of pre-treatment with B. coagulans JA845 prevented cognitive decline, attenuated hippocampal lesion and protected neuronal integrity, which demonstrated the neuroprotective features of B. coagulans JA845 in vivo. We also found that supplementation of B. coagulans JA845 alleviated amyloid-beta deposits and hyperphosphorylated tau in hippocampus of D-gal/AlCl₃-induced AD model mice. Furthermore, B. coagulans JA845 administration attenuated oxidative stress and decreased serum concentration of inflammatory cytokines by regulating the Nrf2/HO-1 and MyD88/TRAF6/NF-κB pathway. Our results demonstrated for the first time that B. coagulans has the potential to help prevent cognitive decline and might be a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.25 no.7
• /
• pp.1084-1092
• /
• 2015

In the present work, the in vitro prebiotic activity of xylooligosaccharides (XOS) derived from corn cobs combined with Lactobacillus plantarum, a probiotic microorganism, was determined. These probiotics exhibited different growth characteristics depending on strain specificity. L. plantarum S2 cells were denser and their growth rates were higher when cultured on XOS. Acetate was found to be the major short-chain fatty acid produced as the end-product of fermentation, and its amount varied from 1.50 to 1.78 mg/ml. The antimicrobial activity of XOS combined with L. plantarum S2 was determined against gastrointestinal pathogens. The results showed that XOS proved to be an effective substrate, enhancing antimicrobial activity for L. plantarum S2. In vivo evaluation of the influence of XOS and L. plantarum S2, used both alone and together, on the intestinal microbiota in a mouse model showed that XOS combined with L. plantarum S2 could increase the viable lactobacilli and bifidobacteria in mice feces and decrease the viable Enterococcus, Enterobacter, and Clostridia spp. Furthermore, in the in vitro antioxidant assay, XOS combined with L. plantarum S2 possessed significant 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2'-azino-bis, and superoxide anion radical-scavenging activities, and the combinations showed better antioxidant activity than either XOS or L. plantarum S2 alone.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
• /
• v.38 no.5
• /
• pp.287-293
• /
• 2005

In this work, to develop soil inoculant which maintains stable viable cells and normalized quality, studies on micro-encapsulation with bacteria and yeast cells were performed by investigating materials and methods for micro-encapsulation as well as variation and stability of encapsulated cells. Preparation of capsule was conducted by application of extrusion system using micro-nozzle and peristaltic pump. K-carragenan and Na-alginate were selected as best carrier for gelation among K-carageenan, Na-alginate, locust bean gum, cellulose acetate phthalate (CAP), chitosan and gelatin tested. Comparing the gels prepared with Bacillus sp. KSIA-9 and carriers of 1.5% concentration, although viable cell of K-carragenan and Na-alginate was six times higher than those of other, Na-alginate was finally selected as carrier for gelation because it is seven times cheaper than K-carragenan. The gel of 1.5% Na-alginate was also observed to have the best morphology with circular hardness polymatrix and highest viable cell. When investigating the stability of encapsulated cells and the stabilizer effect, free cells were almost dead within 30 or 40 days whereas encapsulated cells decreased in 10% after 30 days and 15-30% even after 120 days. As stabilizer for maintaining viable cell, both 1% starch and zeolite appeared to possess the level of 70-80% cell for bacteria and yeast until after 120 days.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.50 no.3
• /
• pp.361-374
• /
• 2022

For this study, we designed and produced mulberry low-fat ice cream supplemented with synbiotics (MLF-ISS). The sensory characteristics and physical, chemical, and microbiological qualities of MLF-ISS were then determined. Mulberry juice inoculated with or without probiotic (Lactobacillus plantarum TISTR 926 and Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745) was also tested at 37℃ for 24 h to determine probiotic growth rate, pH, total anthocyanin content (TAC), total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activity (AA). Only the TAC of mulberry juice inoculated with S. boulardii CNCM I-745 increased considerably (p < 0.05) among these parameters. MLF-ISS was produced with varied mulberry fruit concentrations (0, 10, 20, 30, or 40%) (w/w). The MLF-ISS prepared with 30% mulberry fruit (w/w) (30-MLF-ISS) had a higher score in appearance, color, and sweetness (p < 0.05) when sensory qualities were measured using the 9-point hedonic scale method. In the CIE lab system (L^*, a^*, b^*), the color values of 30-MLF-ISS were 27.80 ± 0.26, 12.99 ± 0.59, and 1.43 ± 0.05, respectively. The 30-MLF-ISS was also subjected to a proximate analysis. The melting rate of 30-MLF-ISS was 0.29 ± 0.03 g/min and the time it took for the first drop to fall was 37.00 ± 7.00 min. TAC, TPC, and AA of 30-MLF-ISS were observed to alter significantly (p < 0.05) during varied intervals of storage at - 18℃ (0, 30, and 60 days). The viability of probiotics in 30-MLF-ISS slightly decreased after storage at -18℃ for 8 weeks, but remained about 6 log CFU/g. During storage at -18℃ for 0 and 120 days, no pathogenic bacteria were detected in 30-MLF-ISS. These findings show that 30-MLF-ISS has nutritional and functional value, is free of foodborne pathogenic bacteria, is safe for consumers' health, and is suitable for application in the ice cream and related food industries.