The selection criteria of ideal probiotic bacteria are complex and involve many factors. One key criterion is based on the ability of the probiotic bacteria to adhere to the epithelial lining of the gastrointestinal tract. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the adherence and influence on membrane integrity of 2 selected lactobacilli isolates-Lactobacillus rhamnosus MI13 (dairy food origin) and L. plantarum RC2 (bovine rumen origin)-to Caco-2 cells in the presence and absence of Escherichia coli. The adhesion and influence on membrane integrity properties of the 2 Lactobacillus isolates were compared with Escherichia coli, a human commensal bacterium. From the adhesion studies, we concluded that the bovine rumen isolate exhibited better adherence to Caco-2 cells than the dairy food isolate. In contrast, the dairy food isolate better protected the Caco-2 monolayer from damage induced by ethanol.
Keywords: Caco-2 cells; Escherichia coli; adherence; lactobacilli; permeability.
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