Lactobacillus reuteri CRL 1098 prevents side effects produced by a nutritional vitamin B12-deficiency

VERÓNICA MOLINA; MARTA MEDICI; MARIA PIA TARANTO; GRACIELA FONT DE VALDEZ

JOURNAL OF APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY

Blackwell

Año: 2009 p. 467 - 473

1364-5072

Aims: To evaluate the efficiency of the vitamin B12-producing Lactobacillus reuteri CRL1098 strain to prevent the symptoms produced by a cobalamin nutritional deficient diet in pregnant female mice and their weaned offspring. Methods and results: Pregnant female mice were divided into three groups: animals fed with a B12-deficient diet (DD); animals fed with DD plus Lact. reuteri CRL1098; and animals fed with a B12-sufficient diet. The animals received the different feeding from end of gestation to weaning. At the end of the trials, they and their corresponding offspring were bled to determine haematological (haematokrit, haemoglobin, reticulocytes, vitamin-B12), immunological (cell IgA+) and histological parameters. The administration of the pseudovitamin B12-producing strain prevented the symptoms observed in female and weaned young animals fed with a nutritional B12-deficient diet. Conclusions: Our data suggest that the pseudovitamin B12 produced in situ by Lact. reuteri CRL1098 is biologically active and effective to prevent the pathologies caused by the nutritional deficiency of vitamin B12 both in pregnant mice and the weaned young. Significance and impact of the study: For the first time, it is demonstrated the prevention of a nutritional vitamin deficiency using Lact. reuteri CRL 1098. The addition of a microorganism GRAS to complement the B12 content in deficient foods is an interesting biotechnological alternative