Mongolian dairy probiotics may alleviate allergies: Mouse study
The study, published in the Journal of Functional Foods, looked at the anti-allergic activities of ten lactic acid bacteria strains prepared from Mongolian dairy products and orally administered to three type I allergy models in mice. Type I allergic diseases include allergic rhinitis, food allergies, atopic dermatitis, and allergic asthma, occurrence of which the researchers said is increasing.
The Japanese and Mongolian researchers found that of the ten strains, the oral administration of the Lactobacillus plantarum strain 06CC2 probiotic strain “significantly alleviated” type I allergy symptoms across all three allergy models - compound 48/80 stimulation, passive cutaneous anaphylaxis reaction and ovalbumin sensitization - in the mice. The strain was isolated from the traditional Mongolian cheese, Aaruul - curdled cow milk, dehydrated and dried in the open air and sun.
Strains of Lactobacilli tested.
Strain number | Species | Origin |
05AM23 | Lactobacillus plantarum | Alcoholic fermented mare milk (Airag) |
06TCa8 | Lactobacillus plantarum | Fermented camel milk (Tarag) |
06TCa19 | Lactobacillus paracasei paracasei | Fermented camel milk (Tarag) |
06TCa22 | Lactobacillus paracasei paracasei | Fermented camel milk (Tarag) |
06TCa39 | Lactobacillus paracasei tolerans | Fermented camel milk (Tarag) |
06TCa40 | Lactobacillus plantarum | Fermented camel milk (Tarag) |
06TCa43 | Lactobacillus paracasei paracasei | Fermented camel milk (Tarag) |
06CC2 | Lactobacillus plantarum | Cow cheese (Aaruul) |
06TC3 | Lactobacillus delbrueckii lactis | Fermented cow milk (Tarag) |
06CC9 | Lactobacillus plantarum | Cow cheese (Aaruul) |
Airag is fermented horse milk. Tarag is a traditional Mongolian yoghurt. Aaruul is a traditional Mongolian hard cheese.
Intestinal immunity and helper cell balance
The researchers suggested this influence was linked to T helper type 1 (Th1)/T helper type 2 (Th2) balance – cells that play an important role in the immune system, each with a different trigger and area of immunity ‘expertise’.
“The 06CC2 strain was suggested to alter the Th1/Th2 balance toward Th1 dominance through intestinal immunity in these allergy models in mice, resulting in the suppression of mast cell activation, followed by histamine release and vascular permeability,” they wrote.
Functional food ingredient
The researchers said that due to the increasing occurrence of these types of allergies, functional food could provide a practical solution. “Various kinds of functional foods and dietary supplements are expected to provide alternative treatments to alleviate the allergic symptoms prophylactically and therapeutically in order to maintain and improve the quality of life,” they wrote.
The researchers said this study built on from previous research that suggested the 06CC2 strain had an influence on immunity in influenza virus-infected mice. In the uninfected mice, the strain was found to induce Th1 cytokine - cell-signalling proteins - production and to activate the Th1 immune response associated with intestinal immunity.
Source: Journal of Functional Foods
Published online ahead of print, DOI: 10.1016/j.jff.2014.04.013
“Antiallergic activity of probiotics from Mongolian dairy products on type I allergy in mice and mode of antiallergic action”
Authors: S. Takeda, M. Hidaka, H. Yoshida, M. Takeshita, Y. Kikuchi, C. Tsend-Ayush, B. Dashnyam, S. Kawahara, M. Muguruma, W. Watanabe, M. Kurokawa
