Affiliations: Yakult Central Institute for Microbiological Research,
1796 Yaho, Kunitachi-shi, Tokyo 186-8650, Japan | Laboratory of Host Defense, Nagoya Graduate University
School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Takeshi Matsuzaki, Yakult Central
Institute for Microbiological Research, 1796 Yaho, Kunitachi-shi, Tokyo
186-8650, Japan. Tel.: +81 42 577 8970; Fax: +81 42 577 3020; E-mail:
takeshi-matsuzaki@yakult.co.jp
Abstract: Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) has been demonstrated to
have beneficial effects in numerous disease models, especially murine
autoimmune disease and carcinogenesis models, via host immune modulation. It
has also been reported that LcS induced recovery of the host immune responses
that were decreased by treatment with carcinogens, and that augmented the
natural killer activity and T cell functions of host immune cells. After LcS is
ingested by the host, it is incorporated into M cells in Peyer's patches (PP)
and digested to form active components. In PP, macrophages or dendritic cells
that phagocytosed LcS gained ability to produce tumor necrosis factor-α.
The components of LcS digested in PP were then recognized through toll-like
receptor 2 in macrophages, resulting in the production of several cytokines
which elicit varied responses in host immune cells. Also, it was observed by
2D-PAGE analyses that the expression level and/or the phosphorylation of some
proteins in PP and mesenteric lymph nodes were definitely altered after the
ingestion of LcS, providing more evidence of cellular responses.
