• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.612-620
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• 2022

Recent studies have revealed that probiotics and their metabolites are present under various conditions; however, the role of probiotic metabolites (i.e., postbiotics in pathological states) is controversial. Natural killer (NK) cells play a key role in innate and adaptive immunity. In this study, we examined NK cell activation influenced by a postbiotics mixture in response to gut microbiome modulation in stress-induced mice. In vivo activation of NK cells increased in the postbiotics mixture treatment group in accordance with Th1/Th2 expression level. Meanwhile, the Red Ginseng treatment group, a reference group, showed very little expression of NK cell activation. Moreover, the postbiotics mixture treatment group in particular changed the gut microbiome composition. Although the exact role of the postbiotics mixture in regulating the immune system of stress-induced mice remains unclear, the postbiotics mixture-induced NK cell activation might have affected gut microbiome modulation.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.1111-1127
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• 2023

Health-promoting preparations of inanimate microorganisms or their components are postbiotics. Since probiotics are sensitive to heat and oxygen, postbiotics are stable during industrial processing and storage. Postbiotics boost poultry growth, feed efficiency, intestinal pathogen reduction, and health, making them acceptable drivers of sustainable poultry production. It contains many important biological properties, such as immunomodulatory, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory responses. Postbiotics revealed promising antioxidant effects due to higher concentrations of uronic acid and due to some enzyme's production of antioxidants, e.g., superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide oxidases and peroxidases. Postbiotics improve intestinal villi, increase lactic acid production, and reduce Enterobacteriaceae and fecal pH, all of which lead to a better immune reaction and health of the gut, as well as better growth performance. P13K/AKT as a potential target pathway for postbiotics-improved intestinal barrier functions. Similarly, postbiotics reduce yolk and plasma cholesterol levels in layers and improve egg quality. It was revealed that favorable outcomes were obtained with various inclusion levels at 1 kg and 0.5 kg. According to several studies, postbiotic compounds significantly increased poultry performance. This review article presents the most recent research investigating the beneficial results of postbiotics in poultry.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.17-29
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• 2024

To increase industrial applicability of Astragalus membranaceus (AM) as immunostimulating materials, hot-water extract (AME) was prepared from AM and fermented with Kimchi-lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus sakei & Leuconostoc mesenteroides) to prepare fermented AM-postbiotics (FAME). Although FAME prepared from AM-postbiotics did not show a significant enhancement in macrophage stimulating activity compared to non-fermented AME, crude polysaccharide (FAME-CP) fractionated by EtOH precipitation from FAME showed significantly higher macrophage stimulating activity than AME-CP. Compared to AME-CP, FAME-CP showed dramatic changes in component sugar and molecular weight distribution. FAME-CP was a polysaccharide with a major molecular weight distribution of 113.4 kDa containing Man (44.2%), Glc (19.3%), Gal (10.2%), GalA (10.2%), and Ara (7.4%) as sugar components. FAME-CP with enhanced macrophage stimulatory activity not only increased expression levels of mRNA genes encoding macrophage-activated factors (iNOS, TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-6, and COX-2), but also led the nuclear translocation of activated p65 and c-Jun. In conclusion, crude polysaccharide from AM-postbiotics fermented with lactic acid bacteria could increase industrial applicability as a functional material with enhanced immunostimulating activity than AME-CP.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.595-602
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• 2021

Human intestinal microbiota play an important role in the regulation of the host's metabolism. There is a close pathological and physiological interaction between dysbiosis of the intestinal microflora and obesity and metabolic syndrome. Akkermansia muciniphila, which was recently isolated from human feces, accounts for about 1-4% of the intestinal microbiota population. The use of A. muciniphila- derived external membrane protein Amuc_1100 and extracellular vesicles (EVs) could be a new strategy for the treatment of obesity. A. muciniphila is considered a next-generation probiotic (NGP) for the treatment of metabolic disorders, such as obesity. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii accounts for about 5% of the intestinal microbiota population in healthy adults and is an indicator of gut health. F. prausnitzii is a butyrate-producing bacterium, with anti-inflammatory effects, and is considered an NGP for the treatment of immune diseases and diabetes. Postbiotics are complex mixtures of metabolites contained in the cell supernatant secreted by probiotics. Parabiotics are microbial cells in which probiotics are inactivated. Paraprobiotics and postbiotics have many advantages over probiotics, such as clear chemical structures, safe dose parameters, and a long shelf life. Thus, they have the potential to replace probiotics. The most natural strategy to restore the imbalance of the intestinal ecosystem normally is to use NGPs among commensal bacteria in the gut. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new foods or drugs such as parabiotics and postbiotics using NGPs.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.1031-1045
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• 2022

Postbiotics are defined as probiotics inactivated by heat, ultraviolet radiation, sonication, and other physical or chemical stresses. Postbiotics are more stable than probiotics, and these properties are advantageous for food additives and pharmacological agents. This study investigated the immunostimulatory effects of heat-treated Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LM1004 (HT-LM1004). Cellular fatty acid composition of L. plantarum LM1004 isolated form kimchi was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry detection system. The nitric oxide (NO) content was estimated using Griess reagent. Immunostimulatory cytokines were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Relative protein expressions were evaluated by western blotting. Phagocytosis was measured using enzyme-labelled Escherichia coli particles. L. plantarum LM1004 showed 7 kinds of cellular fatty acids including palmitic acid (C16:0). The HT-LM1004 induced release of NO and upregulated the inducible NO synthase in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 levels were also increased compared to control (non-treated macrophages). Furthermore, HT-LM1004 modulated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) subfamilies including p38 MAPK, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase. Therefore, these immunostimulatory effects were attributed to the production of transcriptional factors, such as nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and the activator protein 1 family (AP-1). However, HT-LM1004 did not showed significant phagocytosis of RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Overall, HT-LM1004 stimulated MAPK/AP-1 and NF-κB expression, resulting in the release of NO and cytokines. These results will contribute to the development of diverse types of food and pharmacological products for immunostimulatory agents with postbiotics.

• 축산식품과학과 산업
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.11-19
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• 2020

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.249-265
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• 2023

Purpose: Infant regurgitation is associated with other functional gastrointestinal disorders and signs and symptoms that have a major impact on the quality of life of infants and their families. This study evaluated the safety, tolerance, and real-world effectiveness of an anti-regurgitation formula containing locust bean gum (LBG), prebiotics, and postbiotics to alleviate digestive symptoms beyond regurgitation. Methods: This 3-month study involved infants with regurgitation requiring the prescription of an anti-regurgitation formula according to usual clinical practice. Outcomes included evaluation of the evolution of stool consistency and frequency; occurrence of colic, constipation, and diarrhea; and assessment of regurgitation severity. Infant crying, parental assessment of infant well-being, and parental satisfaction with the stool consistency were also evaluated. Results: In total, 190 infants (average age: 1.9±1.1 months) were included. After three months, stool frequency and consistency remained within the normal physiological range, with 82.7% of infants passing one or two stools per day and 90.4% passing loose or formed stools. There was no significant increase in the number of infants with diarrhea, whereas a decrease was observed in the number of infants with constipation after 1 month (p=0.001) and with colic after both 1 and 3 months (p<0.001). Regurgitation severity and crying decreased and parental satisfaction with stool consistency, formula acceptability, infant well-being, and sleep quality increased. Monitoring of adverse events did not reveal any safety concerns. Conclusion: Formulas containing LBG, prebiotics, and postbiotics were well tolerated and provided an effective strategy for managing infant regurgitation and gastrointestinal discomfort.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.96-105
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• 2023

Probiotic supplements have promising therapeutic effects on chronic diseases. In this study, we demonstrated the anti-obesity effects of two potential probiotics, Bifidobacterium bifidum DS0908 (DS0908) and Bifidobacterium longum DS0950 (DS0950). Treatment with DS0908 and DS0950 postbiotics significantly induced the expression of the brown adipocyte-specific markers UCP1, PPARγ, PGC1α, PRDM16 and beige adipocyte-specific markers CD137, FGF21, P2RX5, and COX2 in C3H10T1/2 mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In mice with high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity, both potential probiotics and postbiotics noticeably reduced body weight and epididymal fat accumulation without affecting food intake. DS0908 and DS0950 also improved insulin sensitivity and glucose use in mice with HFD-induced obesity. In addition, DS0908 and DS0950 improved the plasma lipid profile, proved by reduced triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, and cholesterol levels. Furthermore, DS0908 and DS0950 improved mitochondrial respiratory function, confirmed by the high expression of oxidative phosphorylation proteins, during thermogenesis induction in the visceral and epididymal fat in mice with HFD-induced obesity. Notably, the physiological and metabolic changes were more significant after treatment with potential probiotic culture-supernatants than those with the bacterial pellet. Finally, gene knockdown and co-treatment with inhibitor-mediated mechanistic analyses showed that both DS0908 and DS0950 exerted anti-obesity-related effects via the PKA/p38 MAPK signaling activation in C3H10T1/2 MSCs. Our observations suggest that DS0908 and DS0950 could potentially alleviate obesity as dietary supplements.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.8
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• pp.1463-1473
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• 2024

Objective: Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of Saccharomyces yeast postbiotics (SYP) in feeds for sows on the growth of offspring (Exp. 1), for nursery pigs on their growth (Exp. 2), and for nursery and finishing pigs on their growth (Exp. 3). Methods: Exp. 1 had 80 sows at breeding assigned to 4 groups with SYP at 0, 0.050, 0.175, and 0.500 g/kg. Offspring were fed a common diet for 126 d. Exp. 2 had 144 barrows at 8 kg body weight (BW) allotted to CON (no SYP); YPC (SYP at 0.175 g/kg; d 0 to 42); and YPD (SYP at 1.25, 0.75, and 0 g/kg; d 0 to 7, d 8 to 21, and d 22 to 42, respectively) with 8 pens/treatment (6 pigs/pen). Exp. 3 had 96 barrows at 8 kg BW allotted to CON (no SYP); YPN (SYP at 0.175 g/kg; d 0 to 42); YPF (SYP at 0.100 g/kg; d 43 to 119); and YPA (SYP at 0.175 and 0.100 g/kg; d 0 to 42 and d 43 to 119, respectively) with 8 pens/treatment (3 pigs/pen). Results: In Exp. 1, increasing SYP increased (p<0.05, quadratic) the sow body score (maximum at 0.30% SYP), reduced (p<0.05, quadratic) the days-wean-to-estrus (minimum at 0.27% SYP), and increased (p<0.05) offspring BW at weaning and their average daily gain (ADG) and feed efficiency (G:F) at d 126. In Exp. 2, ADG, average daily feed intake (ADFI), and G:F of YPC were the greatest (p<0.05). The ADG and ADFI of YPD were greater (p<0.05) than CON. Fecal score of YPC and YPD was smaller (p<0.05) than CON. In Exp. 3, YPA had the greatest (p<0.05) ADG and YPN and YPF had greater (p<0.05) ADG than CON. Conclusion: SYP enhanced sow performance, offspring growth, growth of nursery and growing pigs with the greater efficacy at 0.27 to 0.32 g/kg feed.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.6-16
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• 2023

To investigate the anti-inflammatory activity of submerged culture using Cordyceps militaris mycelium, culture-including mycelia was extracted and lyophilized into postbiotics (hot-water extract; CM-HW). HW was fractionated into crude polysaccharide (CM-CP) by ethanol precipitation, and CM-CP was further dialyzed into CM-DCP by dialysis with running water using 12~14 kDa dialysis tube. When the cytotoxicity of subfractions against cells was assessed, no subfraction had a cytotoxic impact that was substantially different from the control groups. In an inflammatory model using LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, CM-DCP significantly decreased IL-6 and MCP-1 production levels compared to the LPS-control group. CM-DCP also inhibited IL-6 and IL-8 secretion in HaCaT keratinocytes stimulated with TNF-α and IFN-γ. In the meanwhile, the neutral sugar content and mannose ratio of anti-inflammatory CM-DCP were higher than the other fractions, and CM-DCP contained β-1,3/1,6-glucan of 216.1 mg/g. High pressure size exclusion chromatography revealed that CM-DCP contained molecules with a molecular weight range of 5.6 to 144.0 kDa. In conclusion, postbiotics of C. militaris mycelium significantly promoted anti-inflammatory activity, suggesting that neutral polysaccharides including Glc and Man contribute to the anti-inflammation in RAW 264.7 or HaCaT cells.