Probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus Can Prevent Intestinal Inflammation

May, 2021 - By WMR

A study reported in ‘The American Journal of Pathology’ revealed that probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus strain, known as LA1, can treat intestinal inflammation.

Intestinal epithelial tight junctions function as an obstruction against harmful antigens, which are responsible for intestinal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease and other gut inflammatory conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. A defective intestinal tight junction (TJ) barrier is responsible for worsening and increasing intestinal inflammation.

The study revealed that LA1 preserves and restores the intestinal epithelial tight junctions, which aids in treating intestinal inflammation. Thus, the usage of probiotics has evolved as a remedy for treating intestinal disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease, necrotizing enterocolitis, and others. It is to be noted that specific probiotic bacteria need to be identified, which can be beneficial for treating intestinal disorders.

The researchers in this study considered 20 probiotic bacteria to identify their ability in increasing intestinal barrier function. The researchers used cell culture model of the intestinal epithelial lining and live mice.

The researchers found that the probiotic bacterial species L. acidophilus, that is, LA1 strain, caused a rapid increase in intestinal TJ barrier. The researchers observed that LA1 strain gets involved with the intestinal cells in a unique way. This resulted in activation of pathways, which tightened the intestinal barrier, thereby, preventing intestinal inflammation. Researchers also revealed that LA1 strain gets attached to the intestinal epithelial membrane surface by direct interaction with the toll-like receptor-2 complex. This, in turn, alerts the intestine to stimulate immune response.

The researchers also conducted in vivo proof-of-concept studies in live mice. This was performed to examine the effects of LA1 strain and LA3 strain in improving the intestinal barrier in mouse. The study was also conducted to understand the therapeutic efficiency of LA1 strain in preserving and restoring intestinal barrier against induced colitis. The researchers concluded that LA1 strain was responsible for rapid improvement of small intestine as well as colonic epithelial barrier in mice. The researchers did not observe similar result in case of LA3 strain.