Bile salt and acid tolerance of Lactobacillus rhamnosus strains isolated from Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

This study aimed to compare phenotypic and genetic characteristics of Lactobacillus rhamnosus strains isolated at the end of the ripening of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and to investigate an important prerequisite of probiotic interest, such as the capability to survive at low pH and in presence of bile salts. The use of API 50 CH, RAPD-PCR analysis and species-specific PCR allowed to ascertain the identity of 63 L. rhamnosus strains. Three L. rhamnosus strains isolated from Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, L. rhamnosus ATCC 7469T and the commercial strain L. GG were assayed to estimate the resistance to various stress factors reproducing in vitro some conditions of the gastro-intestinal environment such as low pH and different amounts of bile salts and acids. The behaviour of almost all the tested strains isolated from Parmigiano Reggiano cheese resulted analogous to that showed by L. GG.     

Cryptic plasmids in Lactobacillus strains isolated from the murine gastrointestinal tract

Ten of twenty Lactobacillus strains isolated from the gastrointestinal tracts of animals of several species contained plasmids of 80 to 90 megadaltons or less than 2.6 megadaltons in size, as analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. The large plasmids were found only in strains originally isolated from the keratinized epithelium of the murine stomach.     

Cryptic plasmids in Lactobacillus strains isolated from the murine gastrointestinal tract.

Ten of twenty Lactobacillus strains isolated from the gastrointestinal tracts of animals of several species contained plasmids of 80 to 90 megadaltons or less than 2.6 megadaltons in size, as analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. The large plasmids were found only in strains originally isolated from the keratinized epithelium of the murine stomach.     

肠道益生菌体外抑菌活性的研究

以6种常见肠道致病菌作为指示菌,研究了来自健康青年和儿童肠道的25株益生菌发酵浓缩液的体外抑菌效果.进一步研究了抑菌作用良好的LMa1和LMa3经pH调节、热处理、蛋白酶处理以及发酵过程中的抑菌活性变化.短链有机酸作为发酵终产物的主要成分之一,其抑菌效果也被测定.结果表明,抑菌物质包括短链有机酸（主要为乙酸和乳酸）和一类对热稳定、对部分蛋白酶敏感的物质,可能是某种细菌素.低pH是表现抑菌活性的必要条件,但仅有低pH（如低pH缓冲液）并无明显抑菌效果.     

Plasmid profiling and curing of Lactobacillus strains isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of chicken

In this study, we assessed the susceptibility of 12 Lactobacillus strains, all of which had been isolated from the gastrointestinal tracts of chicken, to three antibiotics (chloramphenicol, erythromycin and tetracycline) used commonly as selective markers in transformation studies of lactic acid bacteria. Among these strains, 17%, 58%, and 25% were found to exhibit a high degree of resistance to 200 microg/ml of tetracycline, erythromycin, and chloramphenicol, respectively. Seven of the 12 Lactobacillus strains exhibiting resistance to at least 50 microg/ml of chloramphenicol or erythromycin, and five strains exhibiting resistance to at least 50 microg/ml of tetracycline, were subsequently subjected to plasmid curing with chemical curing agents, such as novobiocin, acriflavin, SDS, and ethidium bromide. In no cases did the antibiotic resistance of these strains prove to be curable, with the exception of the erythromycin resistance exhibited by five Lactobacillus strains (L. acidophilus I16 and I26, L. fermentum I24 and C17, and L. brevis C10). Analysis of the plasmid profiles of these five cured derivatives revealed that all of the derivatives, except for L. acidophilus I16, possessed profiles similar to those of wild-type strains. The curing of L. acidophilus I16 was accompanied by the loss of 4.4 kb, 6.1 kb, and 11.5 kb plasmids.     

南极抗细菌活性菌株的筛选及系统发育分析

分别以大肠杆菌、枯草芽孢杆菌、金黄色葡萄球菌、青枯假单胞菌、绿脓假单胞菌和苏云金芽孢杆菌为指示菌,采用琼脂扩散法对实验室保存的580株极地细菌进行了抗菌活性菌株的筛选与活性验证,从中筛选出4株对上述指示菌株具有明显抗菌效果的活性菌株,其编号分别为97、Z11、Z18及Z19,并对其生长曲线、抗菌活性曲线和系统发育地位进行研究。结果表明,4株菌均在培养24 h后进入指数生长期,菌株97在培养48 h后达到稳定期,而菌株Z11、Z18及Z19在培养60 h后达到稳定期。抗菌活性分别在培养84、96、72和72 h时达到最高。系统发育分析表明,该4株菌分别属于伦黑墨氏菌属(Rheinheimera)、嗜冷杆菌属(Psychrobacter)、假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas)和嗜冷杆菌属(Psychrobacter)。     

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.     

Probiotic properties of human lactobacilli strains to be used in the gastrointestinal tract

AIMS: The study of two human strains of Lactobacillus to be used as probiotics in the gastrointestinal tract. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Lactobacillus acidophilus UO 001 and Lact. gasseri UO 002, were resistant to the gastrointestinal conditions (pH 2 and 3, presence of pepsin, pancreatin or bile salts), the resistance was enhanced in the presence of skimmed milk. Additionally, adhered to Caco-2 cells through glycoproteins in Lact. gasseri and carbohydrates in the case of Lact. acidophilus. These strains are able to inhibit the growth of certain enteropathogens: Salmonella, Listeria and Campylobacter without interfering with the normal microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract, as stated by using the mixed culture and the spot agar test. Finally, strongly adherent Lact. gasseri were found to inhibit the attachment of Escherichia coli O111 to intestinal Caco-2 cells under the condition of exclusion. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the two strains of Lactobacillus from human origin present important properties for survival in, and colonization of, the gastrointestinal tract, that give them potential probiotic. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Two strains of Lactobacillus isolated from human vagina of healthy premenopausal women could be promising candidates to be used in the preparation of probiotic products and for their use as health-promoting bacteria.     

Probiotic properties of Weissella strains isolated from human faeces

Three Weissella confusa and five Weissella cibaria strains were previously isolated from human faeces and their potential as probiotics was examined in this work. Resistance to low pHs (pH 2.0 and 3.0) and 0.3% bile salt were examined. Enzyme activities, susceptibilities to heat treatment and various antibiotics, and adhesion capacities to Caco-2 cells were also examined. All Weissella strains were killed when exposed to pH 2.0 for 2 h but survived at pH 3.0 with different survival ratios. W. confusa 31 survived best (20.2%) and W. confusa 31 was also quite resistant against 0.3% bile salt (128.8%). All strains except one grew well at temperature between 15 and 45 °C and all strains grew in the presence of 6.5% NaCl. W. confusa 20 showed the highest β-galactosidase activity (527.3 ± 23.66 unit/mg protein) and W. cibaria 31 had the highest β-glucosidase activity (115.12 ± 5.3 unit/mg protein) in MRS broth. All strains adhered to Caco-2 cells better than Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and W. confusa 20 was the best adhesive strain (85 CFU/cell). These results show that some strains such as W. confusa 31 and W. confusa 20 are fully qualified as probiotics and deserve further application studies.     

对阴道炎主要致病菌有抑菌活性乳杆菌的筛选及特性

目的 从实验室保藏的乳杆菌中筛选出对阴道炎主要致病菌有抑菌活性的乳杆菌,研究其生物学特性从而作为防治阴道炎的潜在益生菌株。 方法 采用琼脂扩散法检测乳杆菌对大肠埃希菌、金黄色葡萄球菌和阴道加德纳菌的抑菌效果。采用共培养法探究乳杆菌在不同时间对白假丝酵母生长的抑制效果。检测乳杆菌产过氧化氢和产酸能力、对低pH环境的耐受性以及对家兔阴道黏膜的刺激性。 结果 植物乳杆菌LP45和鼠李糖乳杆菌LR519对大肠埃希菌、金黄色葡萄球菌和阴道加德纳菌的抑菌效果最佳。经24 h共培养后,LP45和LR519对白假丝酵母的抑制率分别为95.27%和98.85%。LP45和LR519产过氧化氢量分别为11.28 μg/mL和15.15 μg/mL,能耐受pH 4.5酸环境。LP45和LR519复合菌在37 ℃培养48 h可持续产乳酸,且对家兔阴道黏膜无刺激性。 结论 植物乳杆菌LP45和鼠李糖乳杆菌LR519具有优良的生物学特性,可作为阴道微生态制剂的候选菌株来预防和缓解由菌群紊乱而引起的阴道炎症。     

Probiotic potential of lactic acid bacteria isolated from chicken gastrointestinal digestive tract

This study was conducted in order to evaluate the probiotic properties of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from intestinal tract of broilers and Thai indigenous chickens. The major properties, including the gastric juice and bile salts tolerance, starch, protein and lipid digesting capabilities, and the inhibition on certain pathogenic bacteria were investigated. Three-hundred and twenty-two and 226 LAB strains were isolated from ten broilers and eight Thai indigenous chickens, respectively. The gastrointestinal transit tolerance of these 548 isolates was determined by exposing washed cell suspension at 41°C to simulated gastric juice (pH 2.5) containing pepsin (3 mg ml⁻¹), and to simulated small intestinal juice (pH 8.0) in the presence of pancreatin (1 mg ml⁻¹) and 7% fresh chicken bile, mimicking the gastrointestinal environment. The survival of 20 isolates was found after passing through the gastrointestinal conditions. The survival rates of six strains; KT3L20, KT2CR5, KT10L22, KT5S19, KT4S13 and PM1L12 from the sequential study were 43.68, 37.56, 33.84, 32.89, 31.37 and 27.19%, respectively. Twelve isolates exhibited protein digestion on agar plate but no isolates showed the ability to digest starch and lipid. All 20 LAB showed the antimicrobial activity against Salmonella sp., Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli except one strain which did not show the inhibitory activity toward E. coli. Accordingly, five isolates of selected LAB (KT2L24, KT3L20, KT4S13, KT3CE27 and KT8S16) can be classified as the best probiotics and were identified as Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus durans, Enterococcus faecium, Pediococcus pentosaceus, and Enterococcus faecium, respectively. The survival rate of microencapsulation of E. durans KT3L20 under simulated small intestine juice after sequential of simulated gastric juice was also investigated. An extrusion technique exhibited a higher survival rate than emulsion technique and free cell, respectively.     

Probiotic properties of Lactobacillus strains with high cinnamoyl esterase activity isolated from jeot-gal,a high-salt fermented seafood

Cinnamoyl esterases (CEs) improve the bioavailability of caffeic acid, a potent antioxidant with beneficial health effects. This study aimed to characterize the probiotic properties of 14 strains of CE-producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from jeot-gal, a high-salt fermented seafood. We evaluated properties of the probiotic LAB with high CE activity, including tolerance to low pH and bile salts, antimicrobial activity, surface hydrophobicity, adhesion, and immunomodulatory effects, in vitro. All LAB tested tolerated pH 2.0 and 3% Oxgall, i.e., conditions comparable with those in the gastrointestinal environment. Three isolates, Lactobacillus paracasei JBCC10650, Lactobacillus pentosus JBCC10659, and Lactobacillus plantarum JBCC10543, showed stronger adherence to epithelial cells (12.3, 9.6, and 9.4%) than a commercial probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (9.1%; p < 0.05), and exhibited broad antibacterial activity against putative pathogens. Most of the 14 LAB strains were able to regulate mRNA expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in macrophages, indicating their potential immunomodulatory effects. Our findings suggest that the newly isolated CE-producing probiotics may show beneficial health effects by supporting the host immune system.     

Biochemical properties of Streptococcus macedonicus strains isolated from Greek Kasseri cheese

A total of 32 Streptococcus macedonicus strains, isolated from Greek Kasseri cheese, were screened for biochemical properties of technological importance in milk fermentation processing, such as acid production, proteolytic and lipolytic activity, citrate metabolism, exopolysaccharide production, antimicrobial activity and biogenic amines production. All strains were found to be moderate acidifiers in milk. Only four strains could hydrolyse milk casein, while 11 strains showed lipolytic activity against tributyrin. Using amino acid derivatives of 4-nitroaniline as substrates, the highest peptidase activities were determined against phenylalanine- and glycine-proline-4-nitroanilide. Using fatty acid derivatives of 4-nitrophenol, it was shown that all strains exhibited esterase activities up to caprylate, with highest values against butyrate and caproate. Only one showed activity up to palmitate; this was also the most active strain against tributyrin. Five of the 32 strains could metabolize citrate but none of them produced exopolysaccharides. Nine strains displayed antimicrobial activity towards Clostridium tyrobutyricum, while no antimicrobial activity was detected against Listeria innocua and Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. shermanii. Finally, none was able to decarboxylize ornithine, histidine or lysine, and only four strains produced tyramine from tyrosine.     

Pentacyclic triterpenoids and other constituents isolated from the leaves of Gambeya lacourtiana and their antibacterial activity

The phytochemical study was done on the leaves of Gambeya lacourtiana. This plant has been used in traditional medicine to treat of different ailments such as uterine heamorrhage, metritis and other vaginal infections. Chromatographic fractionation and purification on the leaves crude extract afforded lupeol acetate (1), lupenone (2), lupeol (3), taraxerol (4) stigmasterol (5), erythrodiol (6), chamaedrydiol (7), methyl pheophorbide-a (8), corosolic acid (9), tormentic acid (10), epicatechin (11) and 22-dihydrospinasterol 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (12). The structures of compounds 1–12 were elucidated on the basis of 1D and 2D NMR, mass spectrometric and the spectroscopic data as well as comparison with the literature. Compounds 4, 7–10 and 12 were isolated for the first time from Gambeya genus. Crude extract, fractions and compounds 6–12 were evaluated for their antibacterial activity. Methyl pheophorbide-a (8) demonstrated moderate activity against Salmonella typhi CPC with MIC values of 62.5 μg/mL. The chemophenetic significance of these compounds is also discussed.     

The probiotic properties and potential of vaginal Lactobacillus spp. isolated from healthy women against some vaginal pathogens

During the last decade, probiotic research has progressed considerably and significant advances have been made in the selection and characterization of specific probiotic strains. The most studied probiotics belong to the genus Lactobacillus. In this study, 80 Lactobacillus spp. isolated from healthy women tolerated low pH and were able to grow in the presence of bile salts. RAPD PCR technique resulted in the identification of 38 different types. These isolates were then evaluated based on adhesion capacity, antibiotic susceptibility and tolerance in simulated gastrointestinal tract. Species-specific PCR and detection of bacteriocin-related genes were also surveyed. Among the isolates, five strains—Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus NO21, Lacticaseibacillus casei NO1, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum NO4, Lactobacillus acidophilus NO7 and Lactobacillus gasseri NO38—presented acceptable antibiotic susceptibility pattern. Further analysis showed antimicrobial activity of Lacticaseibacillus culture against various bacterial pathogens and real-time PCR showed all five strains were able to prevent the colonization of bacterial pathogens. All five selected strains produced organic acids, hydrogen peroxide and were resistant to the spermicide. In addition, they lacked haemolytic activity with the ability of hydrophobicity, auto-aggregation and co-aggregation with pathogens. These results suggest that the vaginal microbiome could be a good source for the isolation of probiotics and the strains of this study may be considered as good probiotic candidates.     

Antagonistic activity of Lactobacillus bacteria strains against anaerobic gastrointestinal tract pathogens (Helicobacter pylori, Campylobacter coli, Campylobacter jejuni, Clostridium difficile)]

Antagonistic activity of Lactobacillus strains has been known for some time. This property is connected with production of many active substances by lactobacilli e.g., organic acids and bacteriocin-like substances which interfere with other indigenous microorganisms inhabiting the same ecological niche, including also anaerobic gastrointestinal tract pathogens. Growing interest of clinical medicine in finding new approaches to treatment and prevention of common inflammatory infections of the digestive tract resulted in studies on a possible usage of lactic acid bacteria. Last years, several in vitro and in vivo experiments on antagonism of different Lactobacillus strains against Helicobacter pylori and Clostridium difficile were performed. These observations had been done on already established, well known probiotic Lactobacillus strains. We tested antibacterial activities of Lactobacillus strains isolated from human digestive tract. As indicator bacteria, four species known as anaerobic bacterial etiologic agents of gastroenteric infections: Helicobacter pylori, Campylobacter jejuni, C. coli and Clostridium difficile were used. Some of them were obtained from international collections, others were clinical isolates from specimens taken from patients with different defined gastrointestinal infections. We used a slab method of testing inhibitory activity described in details previously. Following conclusions were drawn from our study: All tested human Lactobacillus strains were able to inhibit the growth of all strains of anaerobic human gastrointestinal pathogens used in this study. Inhibitory activities of tested Lactobacillus strains against Helicobacter pylori, Campylobacter spp., and Clostridium difficile as measured by comparing mean diameters of the inhibition zones were similar. Differences in susceptibility of individual indicator strains of Campylobacter spp. and Clostridium difficile to inhibitory activity of Lactobacillus strains were small. A similar mechanism of inhibition of anaerobic bacteria by lactobacilli is postulated.     

Estimation of 16S rRNA gene copy number in several probiotic Lactobacillus strains isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of chicken

The copy numbers of 16S rRNA genes in 12 probiotic Lactobacillus strains of poultry origin were analyzed. Genomic DNA of the strains was digested with restriction endonucleases that do not cut within the 16S rRNA gene of the strains. This was followed by Southern hybridization with a biotinylated probe complementary to the 16S rRNA gene. The copy number of the 16S rRNA gene within a Lactobacillus species was found to be conserved. From the hybridization results, Lactobacillus salivarius I 24 was estimated to have seven copies of the 16S rRNA gene, Lactobacillus panis C 17 to have five copies and Lactobacillus gallinarum strains I 16 and I 26 four copies. The 16S rRNA gene copy numbers of L. gallinarum and L. panis reported in the present study are the first record. Lactobacillus brevis strains I 12, I 23, I 25, I 211, I 218 and Lactobacillus reuteri strains C 1, C 10, C 16 were estimated to have at least four copies of the 16S rRNA gene. In addition, distinct rRNA restriction patterns which could discriminate the strains of L. reuteri and L. gallinarum were also detected. Information on 16S rRNA gene copy number is important for physiological, evolutionary and population studies of the bacteria.     

Probiotic properties of Enterococcus strains isolated from traditional naturally fermented cream in China

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the probiotic properties of Enterococcus strains isolated from traditional naturally fermented cream in China. Four Enterococcus isolates showed high cholesterol removal ability in media were identified as Enterococcus durans (KLDS 6.0930 and 6.0933) and Enterococcus faecalis (KLDS 6.0934 and 6.0935) by 16S rRNA and pheS gene sequences, respectively, and selected for further evaluation. In order to assess the probiotic potential and safety of these strains, the property of four Enterococcus strains were examined, including acid and bile tolerance, adherence to Caco‐2 cells and antibiotics susceptibility. All four strains showed potential cholesterol assimilation, de‐conjugation of bile salts and/or cholesterol degradation to remove cholesterol in vitro. In addition, the potential effect of E. durans KLDS 6.0930 on serum cholesterol levels was evaluated in Sprague‐Dawley rats. After 4 weeks administration, compared with rats fed a high‐cholesterol diet without lactic acid bacteria supplementation, there was a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in the total cholesterol and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the serum of rats treated with KLDS 6.0930. Furthermore, total bile acid level in the feces was significantly (P < 0.05) increased after KLDS 6.0930 administration. These observations suggested that the strain E. durans KLDS 6.0930 may be used in the future as a good candidate for lowering human serum cholesterol levels.     

布拉酵母防治病原微生物感染的机制及效果

肠杆菌科细菌、霍乱弧菌、难辨梭菌、幽门螺杆菌和原虫等病原体感染是引起腹泻的主要原因.布拉酵母作为一种益生菌,通过抗微生物、免疫调节、肠道屏障、增加肠道营养等方面维持肠道微生态平衡.该酵母用于治疗肠杆菌科细菌、霍乱弧菌等病原菌感染引起的急性腹泻,能显著降低腹泻频率,缩短腹泻时间;而作为辅助药物联合抗生素治疗难辨梭菌、幽门螺杆菌和原虫等顽固性病原微生物感染,具有提高根除率、减少副作用、降低复发率的作用.本研究综述了布拉酵母对若干腹泻病原体的防治机制和临床应用研究进展.     

Different probiotic properties for Lactobacillus fermentum strains isolated from swine and poultry

Systematic procedures were used to evaluate the probiotic properties of Lactobacillus fermentum (L. fermentum) strains isolated from swine and poultry. The major properties included their capabilities to adhere to the intestinal epithelium of swine and poultry, the inhibition on pathogenic bacteria, and their tolerance to the gastric juice and bile salts. Results showed that L. fermentum strains from poultry digestive tract showed better adherence to the swine intestine and chicken crop epithelial cells as compared to those strains from the swine origin. In addition, six strains from poultry and one strain from swine showed adhesion specificity to their own intestinal epithelium. Four poultry isolates and one swine isolate were able to adhere to the epithelial cells from both swine and chicken. For gastric juice and bile tolerance, most of the strains isolated from swine or poultry were acid tolerant but less strains were bile intolerant. The spent culture supernatant (SCS) of these L. fermentum strains showed antagonistic effect against the indicator bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Shigella sonnei and some enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus. From the above studies, some L. fermentum strains isolated from poultry were found to have the probiotic properties required for use in animal feed supplement. This study suggested that poultry digestive tract may serve as potential source for the isolation of probiotic lactic acid bacteria.