Impact of a probiotic fermented milk in the gut ecosystem and in the systemic immunity using a non-severe protein-energy-malnutrition model in mice

C. MALDONADO GALDEANO; I. NOVOTNY NUÑEZ; A. DE MORENO DE LEBLANC; E. CARMUEGA; R. WEILL; G. PERDIGON

BMC GASTROENTEROLOGY

BIOMED CENTRAL LTD

Lugar: London; Año: 2011 vol. 11 p. 64 - 70

1471-230X

Malnutrition affects the immune response, causing a decrease of defencemechanisms and making the host more susceptible to infections. Probiotics can reconstitutethe intestinal mucosa and stimulate local and systemic immunity. The aim of this work wasevaluate the effects of a probiotic fermented milk as a complement of a re-nutrition diet, onthe recovery of the intestinal barrier, and mucosal and systemic immune functions in amurine model of non-severe protein-energy-malnutrition. Its potential protection againstSalmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) infection was also analyzed.Methods: Mice were undernourished and divided into 3 groups according to the dietarysupplement received during re-nutrition (milk, probiotic fermented milk or its bacterial freesupernatant) and compared to well-nourished and malnourished mice. They were sacrificedprevious to the re-nutrition and 5 days post re-nutrition. The phagocytic activity ofmacrophages from spleen and peritoneum and the changes in the intestinal histology andmicrobiota were evaluated. Different immune cell populations and cytokine productionswere analyzed in the small intestine tissues. The effect of the re-nutrition supplements onthe systemic immunity using OVA antigen and against an infection with S. Typhimuriumwas also studied. Results: Probiotic fermented milk was the most effective re-nutrition diet that improved the intestinal microbiota. Its administration also increased the number of IgA+ cells, macrohages and dendritic cells. The production of different cytokine (IFN-γ, TNF-alpha, IL-12) by these cells and the phagocytic activity in peritoneum and spleen was also increased. This re-nutrition diet also stimulated the systemic immune response against OVA antigen which was diminished after the malnutrition period and also improved the host response against S. Typhimurium, decreasing the spread of pathogenic bacteria to the liver and the spleen. The importance of the metabolites released during milk fermentation was also demonstrated through the analysis of the bacterial free supernatant obtained from theprobiotic fermented milk, but the whole product showed the best effects in the parametersevaluated in this study. Conclusions: The administration of probiotic fermented milk as a dietary supplement during the re-nutrition process in a murine immunodeficiency model by malnutrition could be a good adjuvant diet to improve the gut and systemic immune response for the protection against Salmonella infection.