Probiotics against intestinal inflammation

A. DE MORENO DE LEBLANC

San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina

Simposio; III Simposio Internacional de Bacterias Lácticas. II Encuentro red BAL Argentina; 2009

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are present in many foods such as yoghurt and are frequently used as probiotics to favor some biological functions in the host. Many investigators have evaluated the therapeutic effects of yoghurt and LAB commonly used in yoghurt production against diseases such as cancer, infection and gastrointestinal disorders such as the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). The increase of immune cell activity in the prevention of cancer and IBD by the consumption of LAB and fermented milks has also been described. Another possible explanation for the preventive effect of probiotics on these pathologies is that they can induce favorable changes on the intestinal microbiota. Probiotics may suppress the growth of bacteria that convert procarcinogens into carcinogens, thereby reducing the amount of carcinogens in the intestine. It was demonstrated that yoghurt consumption inhibited a chemically induced colon cancer in mice. This effect was attributed principally to the modulation of the immune response at the intestinal level and their anti-inflammatory effect. Yoghurt administration was also able to attenuate the symptoms of acute and recurrent intestinal inflammation in a mouse model, reducing the levels of inflammatory cytokines and increasing the cells producers of the regulatory cytokine IL-10 and producing desirable changes on the intestinal microbiota. We demonstrated using mouse models that the prolonged consumption of fermented milks can modulate the intestinal immune system and maintain it in a state of surveillance to affront different pathologies such as inflammation, infections and cancer.