Oral colonization by Levilactobacillus brevis KABPTM-052 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KABPTM-051: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial (Pilot Study).

BACKGROUND: To determine the oral colonization capacity of the strains Levilactobacillus brevis KABPTM-052 (CECT 7480) and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KABPTM-051 (CECT 7481) in healthy subjects. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study included 40 volunteers (22 females, 18 males; age range 18-55 years) with healthy gingiva or mild gingivitis, allocated to receiving probiotic chewing gum (n=20) or placebo (n=20) b.i.d for 6 weeks. At baseline and after 6 weeks of treatment, a periodontics specialist collected saliva samples to assess probiotic colonization by qPCR, and analysed dental plaque, gingival index and dental probing pocket depth in Community Periodontal Index (CPI) teeth subset. Protocol was registered as NCT03540498. RESULTS: Treatment compliance was high (99%). Both L. brevis and L. plantarum were detected in the oral microbiota at baseline. After 6 weeks, volunteers receiving probiotic showed a significant increase of both L. brevis (p = 0.017) and L. plantarum (p = 0.004) versus placebo. This effect remained significant after adjusting for gender and gingival index at baseline. In the probiotic group, reduction in plaque index significantly correlated to higher levels of L. brevis (rho = 0.57, p = 0.022) but not of L. plantarum at study endpoint, and the number of subjects with dental plaque was reduced during intervention (7 of 17, p = 0.016). No such effects were observed in the placebo group. No adverse drug reactions were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Levilactobacillus brevis KABPTM-052 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KABPTM-051 colonize the buccal microbiota of healthy volunteers, and higher colonization by L. brevis positively correlated to reduction in dental plaque. Key words:Probiotic, Levilactobacillus brevis, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, oral colonization, oral microbiota, dental plaque.

Probiotic Properties of Bifidobacterium longum KABP042 and Pediococcus pentosaceus KABP041 Show Potential to Counteract Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders in an Observational Pilot Trial in Infants.

Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are a common concern during the first year of life. Recognized as gut-brain axis disorders by Rome IV criteria, FGIDs etiology is linked to altered gut-brain interaction, intestinal physiology, and microbiota. In this regard, probiotics have emerged as a promising therapy for infant FGIDs. In this study, we have investigated the probiotic potential of the strains Bifidobacterium longum KABP042 and Pediococcus pentosaceus KABP041-isolated from healthy children's feces-in the treatment of FGIDs. To this scope, genome sequences of both strains were obtained and subjected to in silico analyses. No virulence factors were detected for any strain and only the non-transferable erm(49) gene, which confers resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin, was identified in the genome of B. longum KABP042. Safety of both strains was confirmed by acute oral toxicity in rats. In vitro characterization revealed that the strains tolerate gastric and bile challenges and display a great adhesion capacity to human intestinal cells. The two strains mediate adhesion by different mechanisms and, when combined, synergically induce the expression of Caco-2 tight junction proteins. Moreover, growth inhibition experiments demonstrated the ability of the two strains alone and in combination to antagonize diverse Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial pathogens during sessile and planktonic growth. Pathogens' inhibition was mostly mediated by the production of organic acids, but neutralization experiments strongly suggested the presence of additional antimicrobial compounds in probiotic culture supernatants such as the bacteriocin Lantibiotic B, whose gene was detected in the genome of B. longum KABP042. Finally, an exploratory, observational, pilot study involving 36 infants diagnosed with at least one FGID (infant colic and/or functional constipation) showed the probiotic formula was well tolerated and FGID severity was significantly reduced after 14 days of treatment with the 2 strains. Overall, this work provides evidence of the probiotic and synergic properties of strains B. longum KABP042 and P. pentosaceus KABP041, and of their potential to treat pediatric FGIDs. Clinical Trial Registration: [www.ClinicalTrials.gov], [identifier NCT04944628].

Effect of the Degree of Polymerization of Fructans on Ex Vivo Fermented Human Gut Microbiome.

Prebiotic supplements are used to promote gastrointestinal health by stimulating beneficial bacteria. The aim of this study was to compare the potential prebiotic effects of fructans with increasing degrees of polymerization, namely fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and inulins with a low and high polymerization degree (LPDI and HPDI, respectively), using an ex vivo fermentation system to simulate the colonic environment. The system was inoculated with pooled feces from three healthy donors with the same baseline enterotype. Changes in microbiota composition were measured by 16S metagenomic sequencing after 2, 7, and 14 days of fermentation, and acid production was measured throughout the experiment. Alpha-diversity decreased upon inoculation of the ex vivo fermentation under all treatments. Composition changed significantly across both treatments and time (ANOSIM p < 0.005 for both factors). HPDI and LPDI seemed to be similar to each other regarding composition and acidification activity, but different from the control and FOS. FOS differed from the control in terms of composition but not acidification. HDPI restored alpha-diversity on day 14 as compared to the control (Bonferroni p < 0.05). In conclusion, the prebiotic activity of fructans appears to depend on the degree of polymerization, with LPDI and especially HPDI having a greater effect than FOS.

The Efficacy of Probiotics, Prebiotic Inulin-Type Fructans, and Synbiotics in Human Ulcerative Colitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Studies of probiotics, fructan-type prebiotics, and synbiotics in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) show significant heterogeneity in methodology and results. Here, we study the efficacy of such interventions and the reasons for the heterogeneity of their results. Eligible random controlled trials were collected from the PUBMED and SCOPUS databases. A total of 18 placebo-controlled and active treatment-controlled (i.e., mesalazine) studies were selected with a Jadad score ≥ 3, including 1491 patients with UC. Data for prebiotics and synbiotics were sparse and consequently these studies were excluded from the meta-analysis. The UC remission efficacy of probiotics was measured in terms of relative risk (RR) and odds ratio (OR). Significant effects were observed in patients with active UC whenever probiotics containing bifidobacteria were used, or when adopting the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-recommended scales (UC Disease Activity Index and Disease Activity Index). By the FDA recommended scales, the RR was 1.55 (CI95%: 1.13⁻2.15, p-value = 0.007, I² = 29%); for bifidobacteria-containing probiotics, the RR was 1.73 (CI95%: 1.23⁻2.43, p-value = 0.002, I² = 35%). No significant effects were observed on the maintenance of remission for placebo-controlled or mesalazine-controlled studies. We conclude that a validated scale is necessary to determine the state of patients with UC. However, probiotics containing bifidobacteria are promising for the treatment of active UC.