Investigation of the effects of probiotics on allergy

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the effects of a probiotic mixture thatwas isolated from human gut flora, and a standard probiotic strainLactobacillus GG (LGG) on allergic immune responses in ananimal model.Materials and Methods: Three Enterococcus faecalis, 8Lactobacillus plantarum, and 2 Lactobacillus rhamnosus strainswere included in the mixture. Balb-c mice in the study groupswere given the probiotic mixture, and standard strain LGG, andanimals in the control groups were given skimmed milk for 28days. The mice in the study groups and the positive control groupwere immunized with an intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin(OVA) on days 14 and 21. An enzyme-linked immunosorbentassay was used to study the OVA-specific IgE levels in the miceserums.Results: The most remarkable results were that OVAspecificIgE levels were significantly higher (P<0.001) inthe positive control group compared with the nonimmunizednegative control group, and OVA-specific IgE levels in thestudy groups were significantly lower than the positive controlgroup (P<0.001).Conclusion: The data of the present study suggest thatoral administration of probiotics prevents IgE-mediated OVAhypersensitivity;however, the immunoregulatory effects ofstrains must be described in detail while preparing probioticmixtures.