Background: We previously reported that feeding the probiotic Lactobacillus paracasei ssp. paracasei F19 (LF19) during weaning reduced the cumulative incidence of eczema.
Objective: To investigate the impact of feeding LF19 on T-cell maturation.
Methods: One hundred and seventy-nine healthy, term infants with no prior allergic manifestations were randomized to daily intake of cereals with (n = 89) or without (n = 90) the addition of LF19 10(8 ) colony forming units per serving from 4 to 13 months of age. Venous blood was drawn at 5.5 and 13 months of age. We used the cytokine response to polyclonal T-cell stimulation by anti-CD3 plus anti-CD28 monoclonal antibodies, and in vitro stimulation with the vaccine tetanus toxoid (TT) as measures of global adaptive immunity and capacity to raise a specific T-cell response, respectively. Expression levels of IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-17A and IL-10 messenger RNAs (mRNAs) were used as proxies for general T-cell stimulation and naive Th0 cells, Th1-, Th2-, Th17- and T regulatory lineages.
Results: There was no difference between the two groups at 5.5 months of age. At 13 months, the polyclonal IL-2 response was higher in the placebo group (P < 0.05), whereas the IFN-γ/IL-2 (P < 0.01) and IL-17A/IL-2 (P < 0.05) ratios after polyclonal stimulation were higher in the probiotic group, as was the TT-specific IL17-A response (P < 0.001). In both groups, the IFN-γ and IL-4 responses increased from 5.5 to 13 months upon both polyclonal and specific stimulation (P < 0.01), whereas the IL-10 response remained low (P > 0.05).
Conclusion and clinical relevance: Our findings suggest modest effects by probiotics on T-cell maturation following 9 months of probiotic intake. Future studies should address if specific probiotics may drive immune development with possible preventive effects on the development of allergic disease.
© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.