Probiotics, Functional and Baby Foods

Biography

Biography: Ascensión Marcos

Abstract

Background: Among the various health-promoting functions of probiotics, much attention has been paid to their immunological function, specifically the prevention of infections, which seems to be related with their capability to modulate de intestinal microbiota.
Objective: Since effects of probiotics are strain-dependent, the main objective of this study was to assess the effect of Lactobacillus coryniformis CECT5711 (Lc) on both immune response and intestinal function of healthy adults during 6 weeks of treatment in a Hepatitis A vaccine model.
Methods: One hundred twenty three volunteers were randomized into 1) Placebo group (n=40), which received a daily capsule containing maltodextrin, 2) Probiotic group (n=41), which received a daily capsule of Lc (109 cfu/day) and 3) Mixed group (n=42), which received Lc for 2wk (prior to vaccination) and then placebo. Blood and stool samples were taken in 3 visits (V): at the beginning (V1), after two weeks of treatment just before the vaccination (V2) and at the end of the study (V3). At each V, lymphocyte subset counts, phagocytic capacity, natural killer activity, serum cytokine levels and microbiota composition by qPCR were analysed, whereas specific HAV antibodies were measured just before and after the vaccine by ELISA tests (at the beginning and at the end of the study). Intestinal habits (bowel movements and stool consistency with the Bristol scale: types 1-2 hard, types 3, 4 and 5 normal, types 6-7 soft watery) were evaluated by a dairy record, and the intestinal symptoms appearance (nausea, borborigms, bloating, intestinal pain and flatulence) weekly in a single specific day. One-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc tests and lineal mixed models were performed for normally-distributed variables and Kruskal-Wallis with Mann-Whitney U test, Friedman’s 2-way ANOVA and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance for non-parametric variables. Chi square test was used to evaluate the frequency of intestinal symptoms between groups of treatments and visits. Results: specific HAV antibodies were significantly higher in the Mixed group compared to the Control group (P=0.017). Memory T-helper lymphocytes increased in V3 vs. V1 (P=0.032) in the Probiotic group. No differences were found in innate immunity parameters and cytokine concentrations, as well as in the intestinal microbiota composition, bowel movements and stool consistency. However, a trend to a lower appearance of total symptoms were observed in the last 4 weeks of intervention in the Probiotic and Mixed groups compared to the Placebo group (82,9% y 80,9 % vs 97,5%) (P=0,054).
Conclusion: These results suggest that Lactobacillus coryniformis CECT5711 could improve vaccine efficiency by enhancing increasing antibody response and perhaps immunological memory. There were no remarkable effects on the intestinal function probably because they are healthy adults with a very low appearance of intestinal disorder symptoms. Even so, the intervention with this strain led to a lower tendency of symptoms appearance compared to the Placebo group.