â-casein hydrolysate generated by the cell envelope-associated proteinase of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp lactis CRL 581 protects against trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis in mice

ESPECHE TURBAY, B; A. DE MORENO DE LEBLANC; G. PERDIGON; G. SAVOY DE GIORI; E. M. HEBERT

Egmond aan Zee, the Netherlands

Simposio; 10th Symposium on Lactic Acid Bacteria; 2011

Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis CRL 581, a thermophilic lactic acid bacteria used as a starter culture for the manufacture of a variety of fermented dairy products, releases a series of potentially bioactive peptides (antihypertensive and phosphopeptides) from a- and b-caseins. In this study, the potential immunomodulatory properties of the bioactive peptides released by CRL 581 cells from â-casein were assayed using a trinitrobencene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced intestinal inflammation murine model. The casein hydrolysate was obtained by incubation of non-proliferating CRL 581 cells with â-casein for 4 h at 40°C. In a preventive study, BALB/c mice received orally b-casein, the hydrolysate or the vehicle (alcohol) daily for 10 days before colitis. TNBS was administered at day 11 and mice were sacrified at 0, 3 and 7 days after TNBS. Inflammation was assessed by measuring changes in body weight, mortality, microbial translocation, histology of the intestine, and measuring  intestinal myeloperoxidase (MPO) and â-glucuronidase activities, and cytokines (IL-10, IFNg) in intestinal fluid. The administration of the â-casein hydrolysates produced less weight loss and mortality compared to the control of inflammation. In the preventive assay, the values of â-glucuronidase and MPO activities as well as liver translocation were lower with regard to the levels observed in the TNBS group. These observations were correlated with the histological features of the intestine; the Ameho scores were 2.17 ± 0.76 in the preventive group and 4.67 ± 0.58 in the TNBS group. Also, an increase of the regulatory cytokine IL-10 and a decreased in the proinflammatory cytokine IFNg were observed in the animals which received the hydrolysates. These results suggest that L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis CRL 581 inoculated in milk is able to generate peptides with anti-inflammatory activity in vivo. The industrial importance and the potential beneficial health properties of the bioactive peptides released by CRL 581 cells from milk proteins makes L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis CRL 581 a promissory strain for the production of novel functional foods.