From: zumone2002 on
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-09/wjog-pbc092408.php

Probiotic bacteria can induce monocyte-derived dendritic cells
maturation?

Probiotic bacteria are widely used to relieve the symptoms of many
disorders such as inflammatory bowel syndrome, diarrhea, and
allergies. Probiotic mixtures have also been found to reduce the
symptoms of diarrhea. In children a probiotic bacterium L. rhamnosus
GG has been shown to prevent the onset of atopy and allergies.
However, the mechanisms that cause these beneficial actions are yet to
be characterized. One of the factors contributing to the health
promoting effects of probiotic bacteria could be their capacity to
induce cytokine production that further regulates the development of
innate and adaptive immune responses. Cytokines are small signaling
molecules secreted by immune cells that direct the activation of
innate and adaptive immune responses during microbial infections.
Cytokines activate and recruit immune cells to the site of infection
and increase host responses to pathogens. Many clinical trials have
proven probiotic bacteria to be effective in preventing certain
diseases or relieving their symptoms. However, there is a need for
novel probiotic bacteria for clinical use.

A research article to be published on September 28, 2008 in the World
Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. The research team
led by Prof. Ilkka Julkunen from the National Public Health Institute
(Finland) in collaboration with Valio Ltd (Finland), systematically
screened nine potentially probiotic bacteria for their abilities to
induce maturation and cytokine production in human monocyte-derived
dendritic cells (moDC). MoDC were stimulated with different probiotic
bacteria and cytokine levels were measured by enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Maturation marker proteins from the
surface of moDCs were stained with fluorescent dyes and detected by
flow cytometry. The article further investigated the signaling
pathways involved in bacteria induced cytokine gene expression by
using pharmacological inhibitors.

All studied bacteria induced the maturation of moDCs. More detailed
analysis with Streptococcus thermophilus THS, B. breve Bb99, and L.
subsp. cremoris ARH74 indicated that these bacteria induced the
expression of moDC maturation markers HLA class II and CD86 as
efficiently as pathogenic bacteria. The bacterial strains studied
differed in their ability to induce moDC cytokine gene expression. S.
thermophilus induced the expression of pro-inflammatory (TNF-gamma?,
IL-12, IL-6, and CCL20) and Th1 type (IL-12 and IFN-gamma?) cytokines,
while B. breve and L. lactis were also potent inducers of anti-
inflammatory IL-10. The results suggest that potentially probiotic
bacteria are able to induce moDC maturation, but their ability to
induce cytokine gene expression varies significantly from one
bacterial strain to another. This article also demonstrates that
mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) p38, phosphatidylinositol 3
(PI3) kinase, and nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathways are
involved in bacteria-induced cytokine production.

This data is helpful in selecting new probiotic bacteria for in vivo
trials and the knowledge of the cytokine production profiles of
different probiotic bacteria may help in selecting specific probiotic
strains for therapeutic purposes.

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Reference: Latvala S, Pietilä TE, Veckman V, Kekkonen RA, Tynkkynen S,
Korpela R, Julkunen I. Potentially probiotic bacteria induce efficient
maturation but differential cytokine production in human monocyte-
derived dendritic cells. World J Gastroenterol 2008; 14(36): 5570-5583
http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/14/5570.asp

--
Luke