Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria are able to produce antimicrobial compounds to inhibit opportunisticwounding skin pathogen. The antimicrobial compounds produced are organic acids, putative bacteriocin, hydrogen peroxide, and diacetyl. Staphylococcus epidermidis is well-known as an opportunistic wounding skin pathogen in wound infections related to implanted medical devices.
Background: Gastrointestinal illnesses and respiratory-related illnesses are common among
young children in Malaysia, especially those who are attending day care. During administration of
probiotic, the occurences of gastrointestinal and respiratory-related illnesses can be reduced. These
were observed by evaluation through a single questionnaire. However, currently no single tool exists
to simultaneously evaluate the domains of gastrointestinal and respiratory-related illnesses among
these young children. The current study aimed to develop a source questionnaire in English, translate
and validate into the Malay. Methods: Relevant domains of gastrointestinal and respiratory-related
illnesses were identified to generate items and formed a screening tool through literature reviews,
focus groups and opinions of experts. Results: The developed Basic Demographic and Lifestyle
Questionnaire (BDLQ) and Monthly Healthy Questionnaires (MHQ) showed item-level content
validity index (I-CVI) of 0.99 and 0.97, respectively, while the translated Malay versions showed I-CVI
of 1.00 and 0.99, respectively. Item-level face validity index (I-FVI) of 1.00 for both questionnaires
were obtained from 30 respondents showing that the items were clear and comprehensible.
Conclusion: This study showed good level of I-CVI and I-FVI in both developed questionnaires and
their Malay translated versions. These tools in English and Malay were valid and thus reliable to be
used for assessing gastrointestinal and respiratory-related illnesses in young children.
Aging is closely associated with altered gut function and composition, in which elderly were reported with reduced gut microbiota diversity and increased incidence of age-related diseases. Probiotics have been shown to exert beneficial health-promoting effects through modulation of intestinal microflora biodiversity, thus the effects of probiotics administration on D-galactose (D-gal) senescence-induced rat were evaluated based on the changes in gut microbiota and metabolomic profiles. Upon senescence induction, the ratio of Firmicutes/ Bacteroidetes was significantly lowered, while treatment with Lactobacillus helveticus OFS 1515 and L. fermentum DR9 increased the ratio at the phylum level (P
In this study, we hypothesized that different strains of Lactobacillus can alleviate hyperlipidemia and liver steatosis via activation of 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an enzyme that is involved in cellular energy homeostasis, in aged rats. Male rats were fed with a high-fat diet (HFD) and injected with D-galactose daily over 12 weeks to induce aging. Treatments included (n = 6) (i) normal diet (ND), (ii) HFD, (iii) HFD-statin (lovastatin 2 mg/kg/day), (iv) HFD-Lactobacillus fermentum DR9 (10 log CFU/day), (v) HFD-Lactobacillus plantarum DR7 (10 log CFU/day), and (vi) HFD-Lactobacillus reuteri 8513d (10 log CFU/day). Rats administered with statin, DR9, and 8513d reduced serum total cholesterol levels after eight weeks (p < 0.05), while the administration of DR7 reduced serum triglycerides level after 12 weeks (p < 0.05) as compared to the HFD control. A more prominent effect was observed from the administration of DR7, where positive effects were observed, ranging from hepatic gene expressions to liver histology as compared to the control (p < 0.05); downregulation of hepatic lipid synthesis and β-oxidation gene stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1), upregulation of hepatic sterol excretion genes of ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 5 and 8 (ABCG5 and ABCG8), lesser degree of liver steatosis, and upregulation of hepatic energy metabolisms genes AMPKα1 and AMPKα2. Taken altogether, this study illustrated that the administration of selected Lactobacillus strains led to improved lipid profiles via activation of energy and lipid metabolisms, suggesting the potentials of Lactobacillus as a promising natural intervention for alleviation of cardiovascular and liver diseases.
Both aging and diet play an important role in influencing the gut ecosystem. Using premature senescent rats induced by D-galactose and fed with high-fat diet, this study aims to investigate the effects of different potential probiotic strains on the dynamic changes of fecal microbiome and metabolites. In this study, male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with high-fat diet and injected with D-galactose for 12 weeks to induce aging. The effect of Lactobacillus plantarum DR7, L. fermentum DR9, and L. reuteri 8513d administration on the fecal microbiota profile, short-chain fatty acids, and water-soluble compounds were analyzed. It was found that the administration of the selected strains altered the gut microbiota diversity and composition, even at the phylum level. The fecal short-chain fatty acid content was also higher in groups that were administered with the potential probiotic strains. Analysis of the fecal water-soluble metabolites revealed that administration of L. plantarum DR7 and L. reuteri 8513d led to higher fecal content of compounds related to amino acid metabolism such as tryptophan, leucine, tyrosine, cysteine, methionine, valine, and lysine; while administration of L. fermentum DR9 led to higher prevalence of compounds related to carbohydrate metabolism such as erythritol, xylitol, and arabitol. In conclusion, it was observed that different strains of lactobacilli can cause difference alteration in the gut microbiota and the metabolites, suggesting the urgency to explore the specific metabolic impact of specific strains on the host.