Assimilation of cholesterol by Lactobacillus acidophilus.

Considerable variation was found among strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus isolated from the fecal flora of pigs with regard to the ability to grow well in the presence of bile and to assimilate cholesterol from a laboratory growth medium. The uptake of cholesterol occurred only when the culture(s) was growing in the presence of bile under anaerobic conditions. Consumption of L. acidophilus RP32, which was selected for its ability to grow well in the presence of bile and to assimilate cholesterol from the laboratory medium, significantly inhibited increases in serum cholesterol levels of pigs (P less than 0.05) fed a high-cholesterol diet. Consumption of L. acidophilus P47, which was selected for its ability to grow in the presence of bile and lack of ability to remove cholesterol from the growth medium, failed to have a similar effect. This indicates that certain strains of L. acidophilus act directly on cholesterol in the gastrointestinal tract, and thus may be beneficial in reducing serum cholesterol levels.     

几株乳酸菌益生潜力及降胆固醇的研究

采用体外试验方法研究7株乳酸菌和双歧杆菌对人体消化道不良环境的抵抗能力、在肠道上皮的黏附定植能力及其降胆固醇潜力。结果表明:受试菌对CCL-187细胞粘附能力存在显著差异(P<0.05),粪肠球菌M1粘附能力最强;各菌对胃液和胰液都有较强耐受能力,在模拟胃液和胰液中分别培养3h和4h后仍能保证95%以上存活;在含胆汁培养基中受到不同程度抑制,但都能存活;受试菌在生长过程中能够使环境中胆固醇降低从25%～54%不等,粪肠球菌A30和A31和嗜酸乳杆菌A878和PB1能使胆固醇降低40%以上,是良好的降胆固醇备选菌株。     

降胆固醇嗜酸乳杆菌的诱变选育

通过诱变获得具有降胆固醇功能的优良嗜酸乳杆菌新菌株。利用亚硝基胍(作用浓度为1 g/L)对嗜酸乳杆菌进行诱变。突变菌株测定其耐渗透压和抗胆盐能力后,在含有0.3 g/L胆固醇的培养基中培养48 h,测定降胆固醇率。挑选优良突变菌株制成酸奶并喂养高脂大鼠模型,28 d后测定血清及粪便胆固醇指标。嗜酸乳杆菌突变后获得的60个突变菌株中有8株具有良好的耐渗透压和抗胆盐能力,其中突变株Y48的清除胆固醇能力最高,清除率达到(61.44±1.8)%。Y48发酵酸奶喂养高脂大鼠模型28 d后与对照大鼠模型相比,血清中TC、TG明显减少(P<0.05),粪便TC明显增加。通过诱变获得了优良的嗜酸乳杆菌突变菌株,为今后获得优质降胆固醇乳酸制品提供良好的候选菌种。     

The assumed assimilation of cholesterol by Lactobacilli and Bifidobacterium bifidum is due to their bile salt-deconjugating activity.

To study the mechanism of the propsed assimilation of cholesterol, we cultured various strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus and a Bifidobacterium sp. in the presence of cholesterol and oxgall. During culturing, both cholesterol and bile salts were precipitated. Because of bacterial bile salt deconjugation, no conjugated bile salts were observed in either the culture fluids or the pellets. During incubation, the cell count and optical density decreased. The degree of precipitation of bile salts and of cholesterol was dependent on the culture conditions. If L. acidophilus RP32 was cultured under acidifying conditions, the degree of precipitation of deconjugated bile salts was higher than if the pH was maintained at 6.0. Under acidifying conditions, cholesterol was coprecipitated with the bile salts, whereas in pH-controlled cultures, no coprecipitation of cholesterol was observed. From control experiments with different mixtures of bile salts, it appeared that coprecipitation of cholesterol during culturing was a result of formation of deconjugated bile salts, which have a decreased solubility at pH values lower than 6.0. It is concluded that the removal of cholesterol from the culture medium by L. acidophilus RP32 and other species is not due to bacterial uptake of cholesterol, but results from bacterial bile salt-deconjugating activity.     

Bifidobacteria Strain Behavior Toward Cholesterol: Coprecipitation with Bile Salts and Assimilation

Resting cells and growing cells of bifidobacteria strains exhibited an ability to remove cholesterol in the presence of bile salts. In resting cell assays, the removed cholesterol was precipitated in the presence of cholic acid at pH values lower than 5.4. However, this precipitated cholesterol was redissolved when the pellets were washed with phosphate buffer, pH 7, and no cholesterol was found in the cells. It appears that this precipitation is a transient phenomenon. In the case of growing cells, the removed cholesterol was partially recovered when cells were washed with phosphate buffer, pH 7, while the remaining cholesterol was extracted from the cells. Cultured in the presence of radiolabeled free or esterified cholesterol, bifidobacteria strains were able to assimilate esterified cholesterol. It is concluded that the removal of cholesterol from the growth medium by bifidobacteria strains is due to both bacterial assimilation and precipitation of cholesterol. Received: 8 February 1996/Accepted: 11 March 1996     

Characteristics of Lactobacillus strains contained in pharmaceuticals]

The aim of the study was to characterize lactic acid bacteria (LAB) which are components of drugs administered orally in cases of intestinal disturbances, or antibiotic--related diarrhea. Biochemical properties, growth behavior, bile tolerance, and survival at low pH of six LAB strains (four strains L. rhamnosus and two L. acidophilus) were studied. The survival at low pH was determined in MRS broth (Difco) acidified to pH 1; 2; 3; and 4. Bile tolerance was tested on MRS broth with 0.3% oxgall (Difco). Between tested strains differences in ability to grow at low pH and survival in bile were observed. Only 0.01% inoculum of all examined strains survived at pH 1. Differences between strains in survival at low pH (pH 2 and pH 3) and tolerance of bile were observed. However, after 2 h incubation at pH 4, 100% of strains stayed alive. Examined strains demonstrated good 3% bile tolerance. All strains met the criteria for probiotic strains: ability to survive at pH 3 and in the presence of bile.     

嗜酸乳杆菌同化MRS培养基中胆固醇能力的研究

目的 对嗜酸乳杆菌在MRS液体培养基中同化胆固醇的能力进行初步研究。方法模拟人体不同胆固醇水平。结果 嗜酸乳杆菌对低胆固醇或正常水平胆固醇同化作用不明显,而对高胆固醇水平的同化作用比较明显。结论 嗜酸乳杆菌具有同化胆固醇的能力。     

Complete genome sequencing of Lactobacillus acidophilus 30SC, isolated from swine intestine

Lactobacillus acidophilus 30SC has been isolated from swine intestines and considered a probiotic strain for dairy products because of its ability to assimilate cholesterol and produce bacteriocins. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of Lactobacillus acidophilus 30SC (2,078,001 bp) exhibiting strong acid resistance and enhanced bile tolerance.     

乳杆菌耐胆汁、降解结合胆盐和同化胆固醇能力的研究

对8株植物乳杆菌的胆汁耐受力、降解结合胆盐能力以及同化胆固醇能力进行了研究。不同的菌株在添加了牛胆汁的MRS中生长速度具有明显差异,同化胆固醇能力也明显不同,而降解结合胆盐的能力没有明显区别。分析发现,菌株的胆汁耐受力和降解结合胆盐能力,胆汁耐受力和同化胆固醇能力,以及降解结合胆盐能力和同化胆固醇能力之间都没有明显的相关性。     

Deconjugation of bile acids by intestinal lactobacilli.

Lactobacillus species normally found in the intestinal tract of humans varied in the ability to deconjugate bile acids, whereas laboratory strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus deconjugated both glycocholate and taurocholate. All isolates of L. acidophilus from human feces deconjugated taurocholate, whereas only one of six deconjugated glycocholate. None of 13 isolates identified as L. casei deconjugated taurocholate, whereas 9 deconjugated glycocholate. The deconjugating system of L. acidophilus appeared to be constitutive, required low oxidation-reduction potential, and was most active at pH 6. No degradation beyond deconjugation was detected.     

Deconjugation of bile acids by intestinal lactobacilli.

Lactobacillus species normally found in the intestinal tract of humans varied in the ability to deconjugate bile acids, whereas laboratory strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus deconjugated both glycocholate and taurocholate. All isolates of L. acidophilus from human feces deconjugated taurocholate, whereas only one of six deconjugated glycocholate. None of 13 isolates identified as L. casei deconjugated taurocholate, whereas 9 deconjugated glycocholate. The deconjugating system of L. acidophilus appeared to be constitutive, required low oxidation-reduction potential, and was most active at pH 6. No degradation beyond deconjugation was detected.     

In vitro studies on distribution of indigenous lactobacilli of the gastrointestinal tract of rats

To learn the biochemical mechanisms controlling the distribution of indigenous lactobacilli in the gastrointestinal tracts of rats, the effect of pH and stomach and cecal contents on lactobacillus distribution was investigated in vitro with a mixed culture of three lactobacillus strains isolated from the rat intestine. The pH of the growth medium affected the growth of lactobacilli strongly, irrespective of the lumenal contents. Lactobacillus fermentum outnumbered L. acidophilus and L. murini at low pH (PH 4.5; average pH of stomach contents of conventional rats) but at near neutral pH (pH 6.5; average pH of cecal contents of conventional rats), the growth of L. murini was predominant with all strains. More lactic acid was formed by lactobacilli in medium consisting of stomach contents than in cecal contents medium. L. murini grew in the nondialyzable fraction of the stomach contents and L. fermentum grew in the dialyzable fraction, but L. acidophilus did not grow in either fraction. L. murini grew in the nondialyzable fraction treated with hyaluronidase. In contrast, the nondialyzable fraction treated with pronase or chondroitinase did not allow L. murini to grow at all.     

Cholesterol assimilation by lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria isolated from the human gut

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of human gut-derived lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria on cholesterol levels in vitro. Continuous cultures inoculated with fecal material from healthy human volunteers with media supplemented with cholesterol and bile acids were used to enrich for potential cholesterol assimilators among the indigenous bacterial populations. Seven potential probiotics were found: Lactobacillus fermentum strains F53 and KC5b, Bifidobacterium infantis ATCC 15697, Streptococcus bovis ATCC 43143, Enterococcus durans DSM 20633, Enterococcus gallinarum, and Enterococcus faecalis. A comparative evaluation regarding the in vitro cholesterol reduction abilities of these strains along with commercial probiotics was undertaken. The degree of acid and bile tolerance of strains was also evaluated. The human isolate L. fermentum KC5b was able to maintain viability for 2 h at pH 2 and to grow in a medium with 4,000 mg of bile acids per liter. This strain was also able to remove a maximum of 14.8 mg of cholesterol per g (dry weight) of cells from the culture medium and therefore was regarded as a candidate probiotic.     

喂饲Lactobacillus casei Zhang对大鼠体内脂质代谢的影响

从内蒙古锡林郭勒盟正蓝旗传统酸马奶中分离筛选到1株降胆固醇功效较好的乳杆菌Lactobacillus．casei Zhang。用Lb．casei Zhang灌胃高脂血症模型大鼠研究其对血清总胆固醇(TC)、甘油三酯(TG)、高密度脂蛋白胆固醇(HDL-C)、低密度脂蛋白胆固醇(LDL-C)的影响。结果表明:灌胃14 d后,Lb．casei Zhang热致死菌体组大鼠血清中TC浓度较对照组显著降低(P<0．01),TG浓度虽有降低但不呈显著性,同时HDL-C浓度显著升高(P<0．05);Lb．casei Zhang活菌体组大鼠血清中TC、TG浓度均有所降低,HDL-C浓度升高,但未呈显著性。灌胃28 d后,Lb．casei Zhang热致死菌体组大鼠血清中TC浓度较对照组显著降低(P<0．05),Lb．casei Zhang活菌体组TC浓度及两组TG、LDL-C浓度降低,但差异不显著,HDL-C未发生明显的改变。Lb．casei Zhang热致死菌体组和活菌体组粪便中的胆酸含量均增高,但只有热致死菌体组差异显著(P<0．05)。通过实验表明Lb．casei Zhang通过菌体对胆固醇的吸收吸附及减少肝肠循环中的胆酸来达到降血脂的功效。     

Application of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia stipitis karyoductants to the production of ethanol from xylose

Karyoductants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae V30 and Pichia stipitis CCY 39501 with the ability to ferment D-xylose to ethanol were isolated. The ability of these isolates to assimilate different sugars, ethanol tolerance and ethanol production from D-xylose was investigated. Karyoductants didn't grow on starch, lactose and cellobiose, like S. cerevisiae, but showed good growth on xylose and L-arabinose, like P. stipitis. All isolates fermented xylose to ethanol slower than P. stipitis and with lower yields, 0.09 - 0.16 g/g. They secreted also about 3.4 - 7.1 g/dm3 of xylitol to the culture medium (P. stipitis only 0.06 g/dm3). The karyoductants showed an average tolerance to ethanol when compared with the parent strains and fermented glucose in the presence of 6% alcohol whereas parent strain S. cerevisiae and P. stipitis showed exogenic ethanol tolerance of 9% and 3%, respectively.     

Importance of microbial defence systems to bile salts and mechanisms of serum cholesterol reduction

An important feature of the intestinal microbiota, particularly in the case of administered probiotic microorganisms, is their resistance to conditions in the gastrointestinal tract, particularly tolerance to and growth in the presence of bile salts. Bacteria can use several defence mechanisms against bile, including special transport mechanisms, the synthesis of various types of surface proteins and fatty acids or the production of exopolysaccharides. The ability to enzymatically hydrolyse bile salts occurs in a variety of bacteria. Choloylglycine hydrolase (EC 3.5.1.24), a bile salt hydrolase, is a constitutive intracellular enzyme responsible for the hydrolysis of an amide bond between glycine or taurine and the steroid nucleus of bile acids. Its presence was demonstrated in specific microorganisms from several bacterial genera (Lactobacillus spp., Bifidobacterium spp., Clostridium spp., Bacteroides spp.). Occurrence and gene arrangement encoding this enzyme are highly variable in probiotic microorganisms. Bile salt hydrolase activity may provide the possibility to use the released amino acids by bacteria as sources of carbon and nitrogen, to facilitate detoxification of bile or to support the incorporation of cholesterol into the cell wall. Deconjugation of bile salts may be directly related to a lowering of serum cholesterol levels, from which conjugated bile salts are synthesized de novo. Furthermore, the ability of microorganisms to assimilate or to bind ingested cholesterol to the cell wall or to eliminate it by co-precipitation with released cholic acid was also documented. Some intestinal microflora produce cholesterol reductase that catalyses the conversion of cholesterol to insoluble coprostanol, which is subsequently excreted in faeces, thereby also reducing the amount of exogenous cholesterol.     

Identification of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lactobacillus</Emphasis> strains from breast-fed infant and investigation of their cholesterol-reducing effects

Hypercholesterolemia has been reported to be the main cause of cardiovascular diseases and the leading cause of death. Therefore, decreasing serum cholesterol level is very important for preventing the cardiovascular diseases. It has been supposed that probiotics in human gastrointestinal tract have the ability to decrease serum cholesterol level by reducing the absorption of cholesterol from the intestinal tract and the bile salt deconjugation. In this study, 28 strains of Lactobacillus spp., isolated from breast-fed infant’s feces, were identified and investigated for their bile salt deconjugation ability. The deconjugation ability of the strains was determined by the release of cholic acid resulting from the deconjugation of conjugated bile salts. Research results showed that four of the strains had bile salt deconjugation ability. The strains with deconjugation ability have been identified in species level by using biochemical test, and molecular techniques, API 50CHL test and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis respectively. LP1, E3, and E9 strains with deconjugation activity were identified as Lactobacillus rhamnosus and GD2 strain as Lactobacillus plantarum. Even if oxgall decreases the viability of bacteria, the highest amount of cholesterol precipitation (42%) was performed by GD2 strain in the presence of 0.3% (w/v) bile. This study demonstrated that the identified Lactobacillus strains had an excellent ability to survive at low pH, a high bile deconjugation ability, and hypocholesterolemic effect in in vitro conditions.     

Cholesterol Assimilation by Lactic Acid Bacteria and Bifidobacteria Isolated from the Human Gut

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of human gut-derived lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria on cholesterol levels in vitro. Continuous cultures inoculated with fecal material from healthy human volunteers with media supplemented with cholesterol and bile acids were used to enrich for potential cholesterol assimilators among the indigenous bacterial populations. Seven potential probiotics were found: Lactobacillus fermentum strains F53 and KC5b, Bifidobacterium infantis ATCC 15697, Streptococcus bovis ATCC 43143, Enterococcus durans DSM 20633, Enterococcus gallinarum, and Enterococcus faecalis. A comparative evaluation regarding the in vitro cholesterol reduction abilities of these strains along with commercial probiotics was undertaken. The degree of acid and bile tolerance of strains was also evaluated. The human isolate L. fermentum KC5b was able to maintain viability for 2 h at pH 2 and to grow in a medium with 4,000 mg of bile acids per liter. This strain was also able to remove a maximum of 14.8 mg of cholesterol per g (dry weight) of cells from the culture medium and therefore was regarded as a candidate probiotic.     

Interspecies diversity,safety and probiotic potential of bacteriocinogenic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Enterococcus faecium</Emphasis> isolated from dairy food and human faeces

In the present study 14 bacteriocinogenic strains of Enterococcus faecium isolated from dairy foods and faecal sample were evaluated for the presence of virulence determinants, production of biogenic amines and their susceptibility to various antibiotics. Genetic diversity among them was evaluated by RAPD-PCR method. Further, they were evaluated for their probiotic potential under in vitro trials. The efaAfm was the only virulence trait detected in all E. faecium and tyramine was the only biogenic amine produced by 9 tested strains. No strain was resistant to all antibiotics and for some strains, multiple resistances were observed. E. faecium FH 99 showed highest good ability to tolerate acid and bile, while good bile salt hydrolase activity and were able to assimilate cholesterol from growth media. These results suggest that the tested E. faecium are generally free from virulence traits and having good probiotic potential and may be exploit in dairy industry and probiotic preparations.     

Probiotic properties of Lactobacillus strains isolated from the feces of breast-fed infants and Taiwanese pickled cabbage

This study assessed potential probiotic Lactobacillus strains isolated from the feces of breast-fed infants and from Taiwanese pickled cabbage for their possible use in probiotic fermented foods by evaluating their (i) in vitro adhesive ability, resistance to biotic stress, resistance to pathogenic bacteria, and production of β-galactosidase; (ii) milk technological properties; and (iii) in vivo adhesive ability, intestinal survival and microbial changes during and after treatment. Five Lactobacillus isolates identified as Lactobacillus reuteri F03, Lactobacillus paracasei F08, Lactobacillus rhamnosus F14, Lactobacillus plantarum C06, and Lactobacillus acidophilus C11 that showed resistance to gastric juice and bile salts were selected for further evaluation of their probiotic properties. All the strains demonstrated the ability to adhere to Caco-2 cells, particularly, strain L. plantarum C06 and L. reuteri F03 showed satisfactory abilities, which were similar to that of the reference strain L. rhamnosus GG. The strains L. paracasei F08 and L. acidophilus C11 had the highest β-galactosidase activity. Most of the strains were resistant to aminoglycosides and vancomycin but sensitive to ampicillin, erythromycin, and penicillin. All the 5 strains elicited antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive (Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus) and -negative (Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica) pathogens. Moreover, the strains L. reuteri F03, L. paracasei F08, and L. plantarum C06 could grow rapidly in milk without nutrient supplementation and reached 10? cfu/mL after 24 h of fermentation at 37 °C. The viable cell counts of the 3 strains remained above 10? cfu/mL after 21 d of storage at 4 °C. In the animal feeding trial, the number of intestinal lactobacilli increased significantly after administration of milk fermented with the 3 strains, and the counts of fecal coliforms and Clostridium perfringens were markedly reduced. Lactobacillus strains could also survive in the ileal intestinal tissue of the treated rats. Technologically interesting Lactobacillus isolates may be used in the future as probiotic starter cultures for manufacturing novel fermented foods.