Lactobacillus Acidophilus strain L-92 regulates the production of Th1 cytokine as well as Th2 cytokines.
BACKGROUND
There is growing interest in probiotics such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB), not only for treatment of T helper type (Th) 1-mediated diseases but also for Th2-mediated diseases, including allergic diseases, since lactic acid bacteria may be able to modulate the Th1/Th2 balance, in addition to having an immunomodulative effect through induction of Th1 bias.


METHODS
The effect of oral administration of heat-killed Lactobacillus acidophilus Strain L-92 (L-92) on ovalbumin (OVA)-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)E production was investigated in BALB/c mice. L-92 was orally administered to mice for 8 weeks from 2 weeks after initiation of OVA-immunization. Patterns of cytokine and Ig production in splenocytes and cells from Peyer's patches (PPs) from these mice were examined after restimulation with OVA in vitro.


RESULTS
L-92 significantly suppressed serum OVA-specific IgE levels for a long period. Cytokines such as interferon (IFN)-gamma, interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-10 and Igs such as total IgE and OVA-specific IgE were produced at significantly lower levels by splenocytes of L-92-treated mice, compared with those of control mice. In contrast, transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta and IgA levels produced by PPs from L-92-treated mice were significantly higher than in those from control mice.


CONCLUSIONS
Oral L-92 administration regulated both Th1 and Th2 cytokine responses, suppressed serum OVA-specific IgE, and induced TGF-beta production in PPs. TGF-beta is known to be associated with activation of regulatory T (Treg) cells. These data suggest that LAB may have immunomodulative effect by Treg cells via TGF-beta activity.
Torii
Akiko
A
Department of Pharmacology, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu, Japan. cbp10610@pop12.odn.ne.jp
Torii
Shinpei
S
Fujiwara
Shigeru
S
Tanaka
Hiroyuki
H
Inagaki
Naoki
N
Nagai
Hiroichi
H
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology*; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000276:immunology; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000276:immunology; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000276:immunology; D007779:Lactobacillus acidophilus / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology*; D010581:Peyer's Patches / Q000276:immunology; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000276:immunology
D007375:Interleukin-1; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D016753:Interleukin-10; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D010047:Ovalbumin