<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Part 2 - On L. Paracasei for Allergies ---------- Gastroenterology. 2004 Sep;127(3):826-37. Lactobacillus paracasei normalizes muscle hypercontractility in a murine model of postinfective gut dysfunction. Verdu EF, Bercik P, Bergonzelli GE, Huang XX, Blennerhasset P, Rochat F, Fiaux M, Mansourian R, Corthesy-Theulaz I, Collins SM. McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, HSC 3N5C, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. [log in to unmask] BACKGROUND & AIMS: The effects of probiotics on gut dysfunction in postinfective irritable bowel syndrome are unknown. We tested whether probiotics influence persistent muscle hypercontractility in mice after recovery from infection with Trichinella spiralis and analyzed the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: Mice were gavaged with Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus johnsonii, Bifidobacterium longum, or Bifidobacterium lactis in spent culture medium from days 10 to 21 after infection. Additional mice received heat-inactivated Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus paracasei -free spent culture medium, or heat- inactivated Lactobacillus paracasei -free spent culture medium. Lactobacilli enumeration, immunohistochemistry, and cytokine detection (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) were performed. Mice were also treated with Lactobacillus paracasei or Lactobacillus paracasei -free spent culture medium from days 18 to 28 after infection. Contractility was measured on days 21 and 28 after infection. RESULTS: Lactobacillus paracasei, but not Lactobacillus johnsonii, Bifidobacterium lactis, or Bifidobacterium longum, attenuated muscle hypercontractility. This was associated with a reduction in the Trichinella spiralis -associated T-helper 2 response and a reduction in transforming growth factor-beta1, cyclooxygenase-2, and prostaglandin E 2 levels in muscle. Attenuation of muscle hypercontractility by Lactobacillus paracasei -free spent culture medium was abolished after heat treatment. Improvement of muscle hypercontractility at day 28 after infection was also observed after the administration of Lactobacillus paracasei or Lactobacillus paracasei -free spent culture medium from day 18 after infection. CONCLUSIONS: Probiotics show strain-dependent attenuation of muscle hypercontractility in an animal model of postinfective irritable bowel syndrome. This likely occurs via both a modulation of the immunologic response to infection and a direct effect of Lactobacillus paracasei or a heat-labile metabolite on postinfective muscle hypercontractility. Lactobacillus paracasei may be useful in the treatment of postinfective irritable bowel syndrome. PMID: 15362038 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] ---------- JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 2004 Sep-Oct;28(5):348-54. Effects of a nutritional supplement on the immune response and cytokine production in free-living Chilean elderly. Bunout D, Barrera G, Hirsch S, Gattas V, de la Maza MP, Haschke F, Steenhout P, Klassen P, Hager C, Avendano M, Petermann M, Munoz C. Department of Medicine, Central Campus Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile. [log in to unmask] BACKGROUND: Immune response is impaired in the elderly. Our aim was to study the effects of a special nutritional formula on the immune response and response to influenza and pneumococcal vaccination in elderly subjects. METHODS: Sixty healthy subjects aged > or = 70 years, with a Mini Mental score > or = 22 were studied. Half of the subjects received a special nutritional formula (in addition to the regular diet) providing, among other nutrients, 480 kcal, 31 g proteins, 120 IU vitamin E, 3.8 microg vitamin B12, 400 microg folic acid, 10(9) cfu Lactobacillus paracasei (NCC 2461), and 6 g of fructo-oligosaccharides. At 4 months of follow-up, subjects were vaccinated against influenza and pneumococcus. Lymphokine production by mononuclear cells (PBMC), lymphocyte subpopulations, and natural killer cell (NK) activity were measured at baseline and 4 months of follow-up (before vaccination). Antibodies against influenza and pneumococcal antigens and flu-stimulated production of interferon gamma and interleukin-2 by PBMC were measured at 4 and 6 months. Skin response to 7 recall antigens and body composition were assessed at baseline and at 4 and 12 months. All infections occurring during the study period were recorded. RESULTS: NK activity increased in supplemented subjects and decreased in nonsupplemented individuals. Interleukin-2 production by PBMC and the proportion of T cells with NK activity decreased in controls and did not change in supplemented subjects. Supplemented subjects reported less infections than nonsupplemented individuals (in 13% and 22% of scheduled visits, respectively; p = .02). CONCLUSIONS: This nutritional supplement increased innate immunity and protection against infections in elderly people. PMID: 15449576 [PubMed - in process] ---------- Appl Environ Microbiol. 1999 Aug;65(8):3418-26. Free full text: http://aem.asm.org/cgi/content/full/65/8/3418?view=full&pmid=10427029 Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of non-starter lactic acid bacteria in mature cheddar cheese. Fitzsimons NA, Cogan TM, Condon S, Beresford T. Dairy Products Research Centre, Fermoy, County Cork, Republic of Ireland. Non-starter lactic acid bacteria were isolated from 14 premium-quality and 3 sensorially defective mature Irish Cheddar cheeses, obtained from six manufacturers. From countable plates of Lactobacillus-selective agar, 20 single isolated colonies were randomly picked per cheese. All 331 viable isolates were biochemically characterized as mesophilic (i.e., group II) Lactobacillus spp. Phenotypically, the isolates comprised 96.4% L. paracasei, 2.1% L. plantarum, 0.3% L. curvatus, 0.3% L. brevis, and 0.9% unidentified species. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was used to rapidly identify the dominant strain groups in nine cheeses from three of the factories, and through clustering by the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic averages, an average of seven strains were found per cheese. In general, strains isolated from cheese produced at the same factory clustered together. The majority of isolates associated with premium-quality cheese grouped together and apart from clusters of strains from defective-quality cheese. No correlation was found between the isomer of lactate produced and RAPD profiles, although isolates which did not ferment ribose clustered together. The phenotypic and genotypic methods employed were validated with a selection of 31 type and reference strains of mesophilic Lactobacillus spp. commonly found in Cheddar cheese. RAPD analysis was found to be a useful and rapid method for identifying isolates to the species level. The low homology exhibited between RAPD banding profiles for cheese isolates and collection strains demonstrated the heterogeneity of the L. paracasei complex. ---------- Appl Environ Microbiol. 1998 Jun;64(6):2192-9. Free full text: http://aem.asm.org/cgi/content/full/64/6/2192?view=full&pmid=9603834 Development of a probiotic cheddar cheese containing human-derived Lactobacillus paracasei strains. Gardiner G, Ross RP, Collins JK, Fitzgerald G, Stanton C. Dairy Products Research Center, Moorepark, Fermoy, County Cork, Ireland. Cheddar cheese was manufactured with either Lactobacillus salivarius NFBC 310, NFBC 321, or NFBC 348 or L. paracasei NFBC 338 or NFBC 364 as the dairy starter adjunct. These five strains had previously been isolated from the human small intestine and have been characterized extensively with respect to their probiotic potential. Enumeration of these strains in mature Cheddar cheese, however, was complicated by the presence of high numbers (>10(7) CFU/g of cheese) of nonstarter lactic acid bacteria, principally composed of lactobacilli which proliferate as the cheese ripens. Attempts to differentiate the adjunct lactobacilli from the nonstarter lactobacilli based on bile tolerance and growth temperature were unsuccessful. In contrast, the randomly amplified polymorphic DNA method allowed the generation of discrete DNA fingerprints for each strain which were clearly distinguishable from those generated from the natural flora of the cheeses. Using this approach, it was found that both L. paracasei strains grew and sustained high viability in cheese during ripening, while each of the L. salivarius species declined over the ripening period. These data demonstrate that Cheddar cheese can be an effective vehicle for delivery of some probiotic organisms to the consumer. PMID: 10427029 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] * * * *Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the Celiac List*