Effects of long-term intake of a yogurt fermented with Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus 2038 and Streptococcus thermophilus 1131 on mice

Int Immunol. 2018 Jun 26;30(7):319-331. doi: 10.1093/intimm/dxy035.

Abstract

The gut is an extremely complicated ecosystem where micro-organisms, nutrients and host cells interact vigorously. Although the function of the intestine and its barrier system weakens with age, some probiotics can potentially prevent age-related intestinal dysfunction. Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus 2038 and Streptococcus thermophilus 1131, which are the constituents of LB81 yogurt, are representative probiotics. However, it is unclear whether their long-term intake has a beneficial influence on systemic function. Here, we examined the gut microbiome, fecal metabolites and gene expression profiles of various organs in mice. Although age-related alterations were apparent in them, long-term LB81 yogurt intake led to an increased Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes ratio and elevated abundance of the bacterial family S24-7 (Bacteroidetes), which is known to be associated with butyrate and propanoate production. According to our fecal metabolite analysis to detect enrichment, long-term LB81 yogurt intake altered the intestinal metabolic pathways associated with propanoate and butanoate in the mice. Gene ontology analysis also revealed that long-term LB81 yogurt intake influenced many physiological functions related to the defense response. The profiles of various genes associated with antimicrobial peptides-, tight junctions-, adherens junctions- and mucus-associated intestinal barrier functions were also drastically altered in the LB81 yogurt-fed mice. Thus, long-term intake of LB81 yogurt has the potential to maintain systemic homeostasis, such as the gut barrier function, by controlling the intestinal microbiome and its metabolites.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Fermentation*
  • Intestines / immunology
  • Intestines / microbiology
  • Lactobacillus delbrueckii / genetics
  • Lactobacillus delbrueckii / immunology
  • Lactobacillus delbrueckii / metabolism*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred ICR
  • Probiotics / metabolism*
  • Streptococcus thermophilus / genetics
  • Streptococcus thermophilus / immunology
  • Streptococcus thermophilus / metabolism*
  • Yogurt / microbiology*