Probiotic Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086 Improves Protein Absorption and Utilization.

Probiotics offer numerous health benefits, including digestive and immune health. Improved digestive health is linked to a more efficient absorption of important nutrients from our diet. This review focused on the rationale of using the probiotic Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086 to aid protein absorption and utilization. B. coagulans GBI-30, 6086 can withstand the acidic environment of the stomach to reach the intestine where it germinates. Once active in the small intestine after germination, it has been shown to aid the digestion of carbohydrates and proteins. Co-administration of B. coagulans GBI-30, 6086 with protein has been shown to increase protein absorption and to maximize the health benefits associated with protein supplementation.

Inactivated probiotic Bacillus coagulans GBI-30 induces complex immune activating, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative markers in vitro.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to document the immune activating and anti-inflammatory effects of inactivated probiotic Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086 (Staimune™) cells on human immune cells in vitro. METHODS: In vitro cultures of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy blood donors were treated with inactivated B. coagulans GBI-30, 6086 cells for 24 hours. After incubation, the PBMC were stained with fluorochrome-labeled monoclonal antibodies for CD3, CD56, and CD69 to monitor cellular activation by flow cytometry. The culture supernatants were tested for cytokine profile using a 27-plex Luminex array, including pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors. RESULTS: Inactivated B. coagulans GBI-30, 6086 cells induced the CD69 early activation marker on CD3+ CD56- T lymphocytes, CD3+ CD56+ NKT cells, CD3-CD56+ NK cells, and also some cells within the CD3-CD56- non-T non-NK cell subset. Culture supernatants showed robust increases in the immune-activating cytokines IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-17A, and TNF-α. IFN-γ levels were increased, along with three chemokines, MCP-1, MIP-1α, and MIP-1ß. The two anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-1ra and IL-10 showed increases, as well as the G-CSF growth factor involved in repair and stem cell biology. In contrast, GM-CSF levels showed a mild decrease, showing a highly selective growth factor response. CONCLUSION: The inactivated B. coagulans GBI-30, 6086 cells activated human immune cells and altered the production of both immune activating and anti-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Of special importance is the novel demonstration of a selective upregulation of the G-CSF growth factor involved in postinjury and postinflammation repair and regeneration. This suggests that important immunogenic cell wall components, such as lipoteichoic acid, are undamaged after the inactivation and retain the complex beneficial biological activities previously demonstrated for the cell walls from live B. coagulans GBI-30, 6086 (GanedenBC30) probiotic bacteria.

Integrate genome-based assessment of safety for probiotic strains: Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086 as a case study.

Probiotics are microorganisms that confer beneficial effects on the host; nevertheless, before being allowed for human consumption, their safety must be verified with accurate protocols. In the genomic era, such procedures should take into account the genomic-based approaches. This study aims at assessing the safety traits of Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086 integrating the most updated genomics-based procedures and conventional phenotypic assays. Special attention was paid to putative virulence factors (VF), antibiotic resistance (AR) genes and genes encoding enzymes responsible for harmful metabolites (i.e. biogenic amines, BAs). This probiotic strain was phenotypically resistant to streptomycin and kanamycin, although the genome analysis suggested that the AR-related genes were not easily transferrable to other bacteria, and no other genes with potential safety risks, such as those related to VF or BA production, were retrieved. Furthermore, no unstable elements that could potentially lead to genomic rearrangements were detected. Moreover, a workflow is proposed to allow the proper taxonomic identification of a microbial strain and the accurate evaluation of risk-related gene traits, combining whole genome sequencing analysis with updated bioinformatics tools and standard phenotypic assays. The workflow presented can be generalized as a guideline for the safety investigation of novel probiotic strains to help stakeholders (from scientists to manufacturers and consumers) to meet regulatory requirements and avoid misleading information.

Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086 Modulates Faecalibacterium prausnitzii in Older Men and Women.

BACKGROUND: Advancing age is linked to a decrease in beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacterium spp. and reduced aspects of innate immune function. OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether daily consumption of a probiotic [Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086 (BC30); GanedenBC(30)] could improve immune function and gut function in men and women aged 65-80 y, using a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design. METHOD: Thirty-six volunteers were recruited and randomly assigned to receive either a placebo (microcrystalline cellulose) or the probiotic BC30 (1 × 10(9) colony-forming units/capsule). Volunteers consumed 1 treatment capsule per day for 28 d, followed by a 21-d washout period before switching to the other treatment. Blood and fecal samples were collected at the beginning and end of each treatment period. Fecal samples were used to enumerate bacterial groups and concentrations of calprotectin. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were extracted from whole blood to assess natural killer cell activity and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated cytokine production. C-reactive protein concentrations were measured in plasma. RESULTS: Consumption of BC30 significantly increased populations of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii by 0.1 log10 cells/mL more than during consumption of the placebo (P = 0.03), whereas populations of Bacillus spp. increased significantly by 0.5 log10 cells/mL from baseline in volunteers who consumed BC30 (P = 0.007). LPS-stimulated PBMCs showed a 0.2 ng/mL increase in the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 28 d after consumption of BC30 (P < 0.05), whereas the placebo did not affect IL-10, and no overall difference was found in the effect of the treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Daily consumption of BC30 by adults aged 65-80 y can increase beneficial groups of bacteria in the human gut and potentially increase production of anti-inflammatory cytokines. This study shows the potential benefits of a probiotic to improve dysbiosis via modulation of the microbiota in older persons.

Draft Genome Sequence of Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086, a Widely Used Spore-Forming Probiotic Strain.

Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086 is a safe strain, already available on the market, and characterized by certified beneficial effects. The draft genome sequence presented here constitutes the first pillar toward the identification of the molecular mechanisms responsible for its positive features and safety.

Development under extreme conditions: forensic bioinformatics in the wake of the World Trade Center disaster.

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 resulted in death and devastation in three locations, and extraordinary efforts have been exerted to identify the remains of all victims. As mass fatalities go, this one has been unusual at a policy level because the goal has been not merely to identify remains for every decedent, but to identify every bit of remains found so that even small pieces of tissue can be returned to families for burial. While the human impact at the Pentagon and Shanksville, PA was horrific, the World Trade Center site presented a particularly complex challenge for forensic DNA matching and data handling. A complete and definitive list of all those killed is still elusive, and human remains were crushed and co-mingled by the falling towers. Software tools had never been considered for a problem of this scale and scope. New data handling systems had to be created under extreme software development conditions characterized by incomplete requirements specifications, chaotically changing priorities, truly impossible deadlines and rapidly rolling production releases. Partly because of the company's experience with mtDNA tools built for the Armed Forces DNA Identification Lab starting in 1997, the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner [OCME] contacted Gene Codes Corporation in late September as existing data-handling tools began to fail. We began work on the project in mid-October, 2001. Our approach to the problem included: Extreme Programming [XP] methodology for functional software development, On-site time and motion analysis at the OCME for user interface design, Evidentiary references between STR, SNP and mtDNA analysis results, and Separate data Quality Control [QC] and software Quality Assurance [QA] initiatives. A substantial software suite was developed called M-FISys, an acronym for Mass-Fatality Identification System.