Can the use of probiotics in association with isoflavone improve the symptoms of genitourinary syndrome of menopause? Results from a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of isoflavone administration, either in conjunction with probiotic use or not, on the symptoms of genitourinary syndrome of menopause, and compare the effects with those of hormone therapy. METHODS: A randomized clinical trial was conducted on 60 postmenopausal women aged 40 to 60 years, randomly assigned to receive oral isoflavone (150 mg dry extract of glycine max) alone or isoflavone plus probiotic (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactococcus lactis, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Bifidobacterium lactis) or hormone therapy (1 mg estradiol and 0.5 mg norethisterone acetate). The urogenital symptom subscale of the Menopause Rating Scale and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form were used to assess genitourinary symptoms. Vaginal maturation value, pH, vaginal health score, and vaginal flora were used to evaluate vaginal atrophy. Equol, equol intermediate, O-dimethylangolensin, and aglycones were measured using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. RESULTS: After 16 weeks of treatment, the urogenital symptoms, mainly vaginal dryness and sexual problem complaints, improved significantly in the hormone therapy group. There was a significant increase in the daidzein, glycitein, equol intermediate, and O-dimethylangolensin contents after 16 weeks in the isoflavone plus probiotic group. The maturation value, vaginal pH, and vaginal flora improved in the hormone therapy group. The vaginal health score increased in the isoflavone and hormone therapy groups. CONCLUSIONS: Probiotics improved the metabolism of isoflavones after 16 weeks of treatment. However, the increase in the contents of isoflavones and their metabolites failed to yield an estrogenic effect on the urogenital tract and relieve the vulvovaginal symptoms.

Green propolis modulates gut microbiota, reduces endotoxemia and expression of TLR4 pathway in mice fed a high-fat diet.

Due to the various beneficial effects attributed to propolis, which include anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial infection properties, the objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of propolis supplementation on the composition of the intestinal microbiota and its anti-inflammatory action. Forty male C57BL/6 mice were fed either a standard diet (control), a high-fat (HF) diet, or a high-fat diet supplemented with 0.2% crude propolis (HFP) for 2 or 5weeks prior to sacrifice. Blood samples were collected for the determination of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and classical biochemical parameters. Expression of the TLR4 pathway in muscle, and DNA sequencing for the 16S rRNA of the gut microbiota were performed. The HF diet increased the proportion of the phylum Firmicutes and inflammatory biomarkers, while supplementation with propolis for five weeks rendered the microbiota profile nearly normal. Consistently with the above, the supplementation reduced levels of circulating LPS and down-regulated the TLR4 pathway and inflammatory cytokine expressions in muscle. Moreover, propolis improved such biochemical parameters as serum triacylglycerols and glucose levels. The data suggest that propolis supplementation reduces inflammatory response and endotoxemia by preventing dysbiosis in mice challenged with a high-fat diet.