COMPARATIVE STUDY OF BIFIDOBACTERIUM ANIMALIS, ESCHERICHIA COLI, LACTOBACILLUS CASEI AND SACCHAROMYCES BOULARDII PROBIOTIC PROPERTIES

Flaviano dos Santos Martins (BIQ/ICB/UFMG); Samir de Deus Elian Andrade (MIC/ICB/UFMG); Aparecida Azevedo Silva (PUC-Minas); Angélia Thomaz Vieira (BIQ/ICB/UFMG); Flávio Henrique Ferreira Barbosa (MIC/ICB/UFMG); Rosa Maria Esteves Arantes (PAG/ICB/UFMG); Mauro Martins Teixeira (BIQ/ICB/UFMG); Jacques Robert Nicoli (MIC/ICB/UFMG)

Probiotics can be defined as a preparation containing live microorganisms that, when administered in sufficient amounts, confers a beneficial effect to the host. Experiments on the benefits of probiotic therapies suggest a range of potentially medicinal uses such as: preventing colon cancer; lowering cholesterol and blood pressure; improving immune function and preventing infections; preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhea; reducing inflammation; improving mineral absorption; and reducing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and colitis. The present study was carried out to compare some properties of four quite different microorganisms: one strict anaerobic Gram-positive bacterium (Bifidobacterium animalis var. lactis BB-12 free), one microaerophilic Gram-positive LAB (Lactobacillus casei), one Gram-negative facultative anaerobic bacterium (Escherichia coli EMO) and a yeast (Saccharomyces boulardii). In vitro and in vivo tests were carried out to compare cell wall hydrophobicity, production of antagonistic substances, survival capacity in the gastrointestinal tract of germ free mice without pathological consequence and immune modulation by stimulation of Küpffer cells, intestinal sIgA and IL-10 levels. In vitro antagonism against pathogenic bacteria and yeast was only observed for the probiotic bacteria B. animalis and L. casei. The hydrophobic property of the cell wall was higher for B. animalis and E. coli EMO, and this property could be responsible for a better ability to colonize the gastrointestinal tract of germ-free mice. Higher levels of sIgA were observed mainly for S. boulardii, followed by E. coli EMO and B. animalis, and only S. boulardii induced a significant higher level of IL-10. In conclusion, for a probiotic use, S. boulardii presented better characteristics in terms of immunomodulation, and B. animalis and L. casei for antagonistic substance production. The knowledge of the different probiotic properties could be used to choice the better microorganism depending on the therapeutic or prophylactic application.