Effect of a probiotic fermented milk in the thymus of malnourished mice using a non- sever protein-energy-malnutrition model

NOVOTNY NÚÑEZ, IVANNA; MALDONADO GALDEANO, CAROLINA; CARMUEGA, ESTEBAN; WEILL, RICARDO ; PERDIGÓN, GABRIELA

BRITISH JOURNAL OF NUTRITION

CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS

Lugar: Cambridge; Año: 2012 vol. 3 p. 1 - 9

0007-1145

Abstract Protein-energy malnutrition causes a significant impairment of the immune system, being the thymus one of the most affected organs. It was Demonstrated that the administration of probiotic fermented milk recovered the intestinal barrier, histological alterations and mucosal and systemic immune functions in a non severe malnutrition mouse model. The aim of the present work was to evaluate in the same model of malnutrition the effect of a probiotic fermented milk added to re-nutrition diet on the recovery of the thymus, analyzing histological and functional alterations caused by malnutrition. Mice were undernourished and divided into 3 groups according to the dietary supplement received during re-nutrition: milk, probiotic fermented milk or its bacterial free supernatant. They were compared to well-nourished and malnourished mice. Probiotic fermented milk was the most effective re-nutrition supplement to improve the histology of the thymus, decreasing the cellular apoptosis in this organ, and recovering the percentage of CD4+/CD8- single positive thymocytes. Immature double positive thymocytes were increased in the malnourished control. The production of different cytokines in the thymus was increased in mice given probiotic fermented milk compared to mice That received others dietary supplement and malnourished control. Mice given the bacterial free supernatant presented an improvement in the thymus similar to those that received milk. We demonstrated the importance of the whole probiotic fermented milk supplementation on the histological and functional recovery of the thymus in a non severe protein-energy malnutrition model.