Dietary Heat-Killed Lactobacillus brevis SBC8803 Attenuates Chronic Sleep Disorders Induced by Psychophysiological Stress in Mice.

We previously reported that dietary heat-killed Lactobacillus brevis SBC8803 affects sleep in mice and humans. The present study examined whether SBC8803 improves psychophysiological stress-induced chronic sleep disorders (CSD) using a mouse model characterized by disrupted circadian rhythms of wheel-running activity and sleep-wake cycles. Mice were fed with a diet supplemented with 0.5% heat-killed SBC8803 for 6 wk and imposed stress-induced CSD for last 2 wk. Dietary SBC8803 suppressed the reduction in wheel-running activity induced by CSD. Electroencephalography (EEG) revealed that SBC8803 significantly restored wakefulness and increased non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep during the second half of the active phase during CSD. The CSD-induced reduction in EEG slow wave activity, a marker of NREM sleep intensity, during the beginning of the inactive phase was significantly improved by SBC8803 supplementation. These findings suggest that dietary heat-killed SBC8803 confers beneficial effects on insomnia and circadian sleep disorders induced by psychophysiological stress.

Effects of oral intake of heat-killed Lactobacillus brevis SBC8803 (SBL88™) on dry skin conditions: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Lactobacilli are important in intestinal homeostasis, which involves the regulation of immune function, digestive health, cholesterol absorption and intestinal tumor growth amongst others. Our previous investigations have suggested that oral intake of heat-killed Lactobacillus brevis (L. brevis) SBC8803 (SBL88™) suppresses dermatitis by modulating the immune function in an atopic dermatitis mouse model. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of heat-killed L. brevis SBC8803 intake on skin hydration conditions in humans. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted with volunteers with slightly higher levels of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) on the forearm. The subjects (126 people aged between 21 and 59 years) were randomly allocated to three groups so that the level of TEWL and the age were distributed equally among the groups. The subjects took placebo or heat-killed L. brevis SBC8803 at a daily dose of 25 or 50 mg for 12 weeks. Following the exclusion of eight subjects for plausible reasons (two withdrawals from the study, two for study violations, one for not meeting exclusion criteria and three due to their physical condition), 118 subjects were subjected to the analysis. The results of the present study revealed that following the analysis of the whole populations, marginal differences were observed in TEWL (for example, suppression of skin water loss) at the neck in the 25 mg/day group at week 8 and at the lower eye region in the 50 mg/day group at week 4 (P=0.05 and 0.09, respectively, compared with the placebo group analyzed by Dunnett's test). A significant increase in corneal hydration was also observed at the neck in the 25 mg/day group at week 12 (P=0.06, as compared with the placebo group as analyzed by Dunnett's test). In the analysis of the subpopulations whose habitual frequency of taking lactic fermentation products was less than once per week, the levels of corneal hydration at the neck (in the 50 mg/day group) and lower eye region (in the 25 mg/day group) were significantly increased at week 12 (P<0.05). In conclusion, the results of the present investigation suggest that oral intake of heat-killed L. brevis SBC8803 is effective at improving skin hydration conditions in populations with low habitual frequency of taking lactic fermentation products.

Effect of oral administration of heat-killed Lactobacillus brevis SBC8803 on total and ovalbumin-specific immunoglobulin E production through the improvement of Th1/Th2 balance.

We examined the effect of 59 strains of heat-killed Lactobacillus brevis on interleukin (IL)-12 and interferon (IFN)-gamma production from mouse Peyer's patch (PP) cells. L. brevis has a great variety of strains that induce the production of these cytokines. Some L. brevis strains, which were selected for their ability to induce a strong Th1 immune response, inhibited both total immunoglobulin E (IgE) and antigen specific IgE production, and improved the Th1/Th2 balance by enhancing IL-12 and IFN-gamma and inhibiting IL-4 production from ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized mouse splenocytes. Based on the results of this screening, we selected L. brevis SBC8803 as a potent inhibitor of IgE production, and investigated the effect of oral administration of heat-killed SBC8803 on IgE production in OVA-sensitized mice. OVA-sensitized mice were fed SBC8803 0% (control), 0.05%, or 0.5% added diet for 4 weeks during the period of the experiment. Total and OVA-specific IgE in the serum of mice, which were fed the 0.5% added diet, was significantly lower than that of the control diet fed mice. The IFN-gamma/IL-4 value, which represents the Th1/Th2 balance, from the 0.5% added diet fed mice splenocytes was also significantly higher than that of the control diet fed mouse splenocytes. Histamine release from OVA-sensitized mice into sera that were induced by the intraperitoneal antigen challenge decreased following the oral administration of SBC8803. The inhibition of IgE production and histamine secretion by the oral administration of heat-killed SBC8803 was probably due to the improvement of the Th1/Th2 balance toward Th1 dominance.

Clinical effects of a hop water extract on Japanese cedar pollinosis during the pollen season: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

The clinical effects of an oral administration of a hop water extract (HWE) on the improvement of Japanese cedar pollinosis (JCPsis) symptoms were investigated. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 39 subjects took a drink containing either 100 mg of HWE or a placebo for 12 weeks during the pollen season. Nasal symptoms (sneezing attacks, nasal discharge, and nasal obstruction) were assessed from the subjects' diaries. A clinical examination and blood sampling were carried out before and 4, 8 and 12 weeks after the initiation of treatment. As a result, a significant difference was observed in the symptom score and in the symptom-medication score 10 weeks after the intervention in comparison with the placebo group. Improvements were observed in nasal swelling, nasal color, amount of nasal discharge, and characteristics of nasal discharge in the intervention group 12 weeks after the treatment. No significant eosinophil infiltration into the nasal discharge was apparent in the intervention group throughout the study period, although it was observed in the placebo group. These findings indicate that an oral administration of HWE may be effective in alleviating the allergic symptoms related to JCPsis.

Effects of a hop water extract on the compound 48/80-stimulated vascular permeability in ICR mice and histamine release from OVA-sensitized BALB/c mice.

The antiallergic properties of a hop water extract (HWE) were studied by evaluating the Evans blue leakage from ICR mice caused by compound 48/80 stimulation, and the histamine release from ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized BALB/c mice. An oral administration of HWE significantly inhibited the vascular permeability and histamine release. HWE itself did not have any influence on the total and antigen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) production in OVA-sensitized mice. These results indicate that HWE exerted an antiallergic effect by inhibiting the release of chemical mediators from mast cells and basophiles.

Flavonoid glycosides extracted from hop (Humulus lupulus L.) as inhibitors of chemical mediator release from human basophilic KU812 cells.

The antiallergic properties of hop water extract (HWE) were studied by evaluating histamine release from human basophilic KU812 cells induced by calcium ionophore A23187. HWE significantly inhibited histamine release, but boiling water extract and chloroform-methanol extract did not show any inhibitory effect on it. A 50% methanol-eluted fraction separated from HWE by XAD-4 column chromatography (MFH) had a strong inhibitory effect as compared with HWE. Quercetin glycosides and kaempherol glycosides were identified in MFH, of which quercetin glycosides contributed to the inhibition of histamine release. Most quercetin in HWE existed in glycoside form and its quercetin content, obtained by acid hydrolysis, was about 200 mug/g. HWE and MFH significantly inhibited protein kinase C, which plays a pivotal role in the degranulation of chemical mediators. These results indicate that HWE can inhibit type-I allergic reactions.