Probiotic strain backed to fight food allergy: Mouse data
The mouse study, published in the Journal of Functional Foods, tested how oral doses of the probiotic bacterial strain L. murinus affected the gut ecosystem and bioimmune markers of nice with food allergies – and whether the probiotic strain had an impact on allergic responses.
Led by Tong-Rong Jan from National Taiwan University, in partnership with researchers from Eurofins Panlabs Taiwan and Taipei Medical University, the team noted that changes to the composition of the gut microbiota through the use of functional probiotics has been proposed as an effective way to manage and potentially reverse certain disorders and diseases – including previous research that has suggested probiotics could play a role in managing food allergy.
“Results from the present study confirm our hypothesis that L. murinus is a functional probiotic possessing anti-allergic activities in vivo,” said the authors, who added that on the basis of their findings, the intake of L. murinus “may be beneficial for improving both microbial balance, as well as T cell immunobalance associated with food allergy.”
Functional probiotic
The Taiwanese research team tested the impact of the L. murinus strain in mice with food allergy and altered gut microbiota (enteric flora) – finding that oral intake of L. murinus restored the deteriorated profile of enteric flora associated with food allergy and reduced food allergy responses including allergen-induced diarrhoea, mast cell activation, and serum IgE production.
Furthermore, the probiotic was reported to promote beneficial changes in cells controlling immune and inflammatory responses – including enhanced production of IFN-γ and reduced production of IL-4.
“Concordantly, a decreased expression of IL-4 and GATA3 and an increased expression of IFN-γ and T-bet were observed in the duodenum,” wrote the team – adding that L. murinus also enhanced IL-12 production and suppressed OX40 ligand expression by intestinal CD11c+ cells, thus promoting intestinal Th-1 mediated immunity.
“These findings suggest that L. murinus may be used as a functional probiotic for managing Th2-mediated allergic disorders,” they concluded.
Source: Journal of Functional Foods
Volume 25, August 2016, Pages 231–241, doi: 10.1016/j.jff.2016.06.006
“The probiotic activity of Lactobacillus murinus against food allergy”
Authors: Chung-Hsiung Huang, et al
