Review Article

Probiotics in the Management of Lung Diseases

Table 1

Dietary supplementation with lactobacilli that have shown enhanced immune response and protection against respiratory tract pathogen challenge.

LAB treatmentsImmune responseAuthors

The immune stimulation induced by L. rhamnosus CRL1505 (Lr05) and L. rhamnosus CRL1506 (Lr06) on the resistance to infection with an intestinal pathogen (Salmonella typhimurium) and a respiratory pathogen (Streptococcus pneumoniae)Both strains were able to improve resistance against the intestinal pathogen. Only Lr05 was able to induce a significant decrease in the number of S. pneumoniae in the lung, prevent its dissemination into the blood, and induce a significant increase in Th1 (INF-γ) and Th2 (IL-6, IL-4 and IL-10) cytokine levels in the bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL) Salva et al. [55]
2 days before feeding of L. casei prior to pathogen challengeIncreased rate ofclearance of P. aeruginosa from the lungs increased phagocytic activity of alveolar macrophages, and increased levels of IgA in BAL fluidAlvarez et al. [56]
Prefeeding of L. casei (Shirota strain) for 4 months prior to challengeReduced viral titre in nasal washings; increased NK activity of splenocytes and nasal tract mononuclear cells; increased IFNQ and TNFK production by mitogen-stimulated nasal lymphocytesHori et al. [57]
OVA-sensitized mice were orally administered with Bifidobacterium breve M-16V, B. infantis NumRes251, B. animalis NumRes252 and NumRes253, Lactobacillus plantarum waNumRes8, and L. rhamnosus NumRes6. After challenge by OVA inhalation in the lungs, the response to methacholine was measured
Pulmonary inflammation assessed by analyzing BALF for the presence of inflammatory cells and mediators
Of the panel of 6 strains, B. breve M-16V and L. plantarum NumRes8 inhibited (1) the response to methacholine, (2) reduced the number of eosinophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and (3) reduced both OVA-specific IgE and (4) OVA-specific IgG1, whereas the other strains did not affect all these parameters simultaneously. B. breve M-16V but not L. plantarum NumRes8 reduced interleukin 4, interleukin 5, and interleukin 10 Furthermore, B. breve M-16V but not L. plantarum NumRes8 reduced acute allergic skin reactions to OVAHougee et al. [58]