Intestinal Immunomodulation and Shifts on the Gut Microbiota of BALB/c Mice Promoted by Two Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus Strains Isolated from Human Samples

Figure 2

Spearman correlation between cytokines in the large intestine tissue and fecal microbiota of the whole mice population used in this work after 8 days of administration of vehicle (PBS), B. animalis subsp. lactis IPLA 20020 (fresh or lyophilized) and fresh L. gasseri IPLA 20212. Columns correspond to fecal SCFA (molar proportions), fecal SCFA ratios, and relative abundance of intestinal microbial groups (Table S1); rows correspond to cytokines and some relevant ratios among them. Blue and red colors denote negative and positive associations, respectively. The intensity of the colors represents the degree of association between cytokines determined in the large intestine and the intestinal microbiota and SCFA. Asterisks indicate significant associations: p < 0.05; p < 0.01.