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The global probiotics industry has been undergoing major changes in recent years. Approaches to finding and creating new probiotics, as well as a paradigm of their use in food, medicine, and pharmacology are changing. The catalyst proved to be the increasing popularity and availability of omics technologies, in particular, metagenomic studies of human and animal microbiomes. However, the efficiency and safety of drugs based on probiotic strains, as well as their marketing rates, largely depend on the levels of legal and technical regulation in the field. The present review discusses the aspects of legal regulation in Russia, the European Union and the United States, along with the advantages and disadvantages of probiotics and postbiotics. A consensus is emerging that postbiotics have a number of advantages over classical live probiotic cultures. The review also focuses on the lactobacilli family, which includes the largest number of probiotic strains studied so far and still holds a leading position among probiotics. On the legislative front, Russia is often ahead of its time with adopting such laws as the Federal Law No. 492-FZ on biosecurity, which defined the concept of human and animal microbiota and set forth legislative guidelines for its preservation. The new field of research referred to as microbiome nutrigenomics aims to achieve this goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, the world is undergoing revolutionary changes in the development and use of pharmacological preparations based on bacteria and their biologically active components. The development of pharmabiotics, live biotherapeutic preparations and/or their metabolites and components with established pharmacological ingredients and mechanism of the action and aimed at the treatment of specific nosologies, becomes the most promising. When creating pharmabiotics, in addition to traditional microbiological and biotechnological approaches, a complex of omics technologies, genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic, is used. In the presented work, these technologies were used to characterize the Limosilactobacillus fermentum U-21 strain previously selected for a number of unique antioxidant properties. Genomic analysis of the strain allowed us to identify 29 genes the products of which can exhibit antioxidant properties, including those toward the body of the studied animals. Genes of the thioredoxin complex and metabolism and transport of heavy metals may be the most important. Hydrogen peroxide was used as an inducer of oxidative stress. An increase in expression of 380 genes and a more than twofold decrease in expression of 370 genes were demonstrated. Genes of a putative urea carboxylase operon showed the greatest increase in expression (by 14–24 times). Changes in expression of genes of transport, including Fe2+ and Cu2+ metal ions, as well as of the synthesis and catabolism of some amino acids, are important for subsequent studies. Proteomic analysis of the exoproteome of the strain revealed the ClpB chaperone complex protein, which can play a key role in refolding of proteins misfolded as a result of oxidative stress in various tissues and organs of the animal body. The use of a complex of omics technologies to characterize the therapeutic properties and mechanism of the action of the L. fermentum U-21 strain is one of the first examples in this field of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, a number of studies conclusively show that certain bacterial strains, mainly from the genera Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, influence the functioning of the central nervous system, leading to changes in beahvior, nociception and the cognitive abilities of humans and animals. Such strains serve as the basis for developing probiotics with a curative potential for the central nervous system — psychobioitcs. However, the question of how to find such strains and which criteria to use for their selection remains unanswered. Some compounds produced by bacteria, such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the main inhibitory neurotransmitter of the central nervous system, are potential mediators between bacterial cells and the host. Previously, we established that some species of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are capable of producing GABA. We presumed that GABA-producing Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains are great candidates to use as psychobiotics. Therefore, we selected the strains Lactobacillus plantarum 90sk and Bifidobacterium adolescentis 150 as efficient GABA producers. The goal of this work was to assess the probiotic properties of the selected strains as well as their antidepressive effects in mice. We established that the ingestion of the probiotic composition based on the selected strains by BALB/c mice for 2 weeks reduced depressive-like behavior in the forced swimming test; the effect was similar to that of fluoxetine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diversity of Lb. rhamnosus and Lb. fermentum strains isolated from feces, saliva, and the vaginal cavity of 18-22-year-old healthy women residing in central regions of the Russian Federation has been characterized. The results obtained using multilocus sequence typing were identical to those obtained with the analysis of genetic and genomic polymorphism in TA systems. Different as well as identical Lb. rhamnosus and Lb. fermentum sequence types (ST) were isolated from various parts of the body of the same person. Identical ST were also isolated from different women, suggesting that such strains belong to a common pool of strains circulating among the population members. Our results demonstrate that TAs are suitable for characterizing intra-specific diversity of Lb. rhamnosus and Lb. fermentum strains. The advantage of using polymorphisms in TA systems for genotyping is based on the weak number of genes used, and consequently, less time is required for the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretical prediction of chromatographic retention could be used as a means of identification of organic compounds separated by gas chromatography. An optimum semi-empirical topological index, l ET(opt), is proposed for prediction of the chromatographic retention of the methyl-branched alkanes produced by insects. Our previously-developed semi-empirical topological index ( l ET) has been improved to make it possible to distinguish between methylalkane isomers. The new topological index is based on the length of the chain, the positions of the methyl groups, and the number of methyl groups attached to the backbone. Simple linear regression between chromatographic retention and the proposed optimum semi-empirical topological indexes, for 178 methylalkanes with nine to forty carbon atoms in the linear chain, was very satisfactory ( r 2=0.9999 and SD=3.20). The good predictive quality of the model is shown by the chromatographic retention indexes predicted for an external group of 30 methylalkanes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new semi-empirical topological index ( I ET) previously developed by Heinzen, Soares, and Yunes has been extended to branched alkenes. The main advantage of this method was excellent predictive power and high statistical quality using one topological descriptor only, in comparison with those achieved with a variety of descriptors by multivariate regression techniques and recognition patterns. Another advantage is that this molecular descriptor is related to structural features of the molecule, which enables the cis and trans structures of branched alkenes to be distinguished and highlights the propyl effect—a special steric effect resulting from branching at carbon atoms β to the double bond. The stability and validity of the model generated on squalane (80°C) was tested by the cross-validation ( r 2 CV=0.997) technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study describes the in vitro action of the hydroalcoholic extract and the 1,7-dihydroxy-2,3-dimethoxy xanthone isolated from P. cyparissias on agonist and ovalbumin induced contractions in trachea, from normal and actively sensitised guinea pigs.¶ Results: The hydroalcoholic extract of P. cyparissias (0.125 to 1mg/ml), incubated with the guinea-pig trachea for 20 min, had no effect on the resting tone of the preparations, but caused a concentration-dependent, reversible and non competitive inhibition of contractions induced by acetylcholine, histamine, compound 48/80, bradykinin, substance P, prostaglandin E2 and the stable analogue of thromboxane A2 mimetic U 46619. The calculated mean IC50 values for the hydroalcoholic extract were: 0.37, 0.51, 0.06, 0.32, 0.48, 0.3 and 0.17 mg/ml, respectively. Also, the extract of P. cyparissias (0.125 to 0.5 mg/ml) antagonised, in a graded manner (IC50 of 0.46mg/ml) ovalbumin-induced contractions in guinea-pig trachea obtained from animals which had been actively sensitised to this antigen. Pre-incubation of the preparations with the purifed xanthone isolated from P. cyparssias (2.5 to 80 μg/ml; 10.0 to 310.0 μM) caused significant and concentration-dependent, reversible and non-competitive inhibition of the contractile responses elicited by acetylcholine, histamine, bradykinin, substance P, U 46619 and prostaglandin E2. The calculated mean IC50 values for these effects were: 132.0, 73.0, 9.2, 32.0, 110.6 and 66.0 μM, respectively. At very high concentrations (155.0-620.0 μM) the xanthone also antagonised contraction induced by KCl in guinea-pig trachea (IC50 of 190.0 μM).¶ Conclusions: Taken together these and our previous in vivo results are consistent with the view that the active principles present in P.cyparissias, including the 1,7-dihydroxy-2,3-dimethoxy xanthone, antagonise, in a non competitive but, reversible manner the contractions induced by chemical inflammatory mediators in the guinea pig trachea in vitro. Thus, these results might explain at least in part, the medicinal use of this plant in the management of inflammation, asthma and allergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study the acute anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties of an extract of D. winteri.¶ Material and Methods: Paw oedema induced in rats with various stimuli and anaphylactic shock in mice.¶ Results: The hydroalcoholic extract (HE) of D. winteri (Winteraceae) (30 to 100 mg/kg, p.o., 1 h prior) inhibited carrageenan (300 μg/paw) and dextran (100 μg/paw)-induced paw oedema formation in a dose-dependent manner, with mean ID50 values of 49 and < 30 mg/kg, respectively. The HE of D. winteri (30 to 100 mg/kg) also inhibited paw oedema induced by bradykinin (BK) (3 nmol), substance P (SP) (10 nmol) and PAF-acether (PAF) (10 nmol), in a dose-dependent manner, with mean ID50 values of 56, 63, and 58 mg/kg, respectively. However, the HE inhibited the rat paw oedema induced by prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) (10 nmol) (29 ± 7 and 33 ± 2% at 60 and 240 min) to a smaller extent, and had no effect on oedema elicited by histamine (100 nmol). In adrenalectomized animals, the inhibition by the HE of D. winteri (100 mg/kg, p.o., 1 h prior) of BK-elicited oedema (3 nmol/paw) was significantly smaller when compared with that observed in control animals. When assessed in rats actively sensitised to ovalbumin (OVO), the oedema caused by OVO (6 μg/paw) was significantly inhibited by HE of D. winteri (30 to 100 mg/kg, p.o.), with a mean ID50 of about 65 mg/kg. The HE of D. winteri (100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly increased survival rate when assessed in anaphylactic shock in mice actively sensitised to the antigen. The protective effect was long-lasting, being observed for up to 15 h. Dexamethasone, used as positive control (0.5, 1 and 2 mg/kg) produced a long-lasting (up to 24 h) increase in the survival rate of the animals.¶ Conclusions: These results confirm and extend our previous studies, and demonstrate the clear oral anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties of the active principle(s) present in the barks of D. winteri, thus confirming its reported medicinal use in folk medicine for the management of airway diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports the oral anti-inflammatory profile of the crude extract (CE) of Mandevilla velutina, a plant which has been previously demonstrated to selectively antagonize bradykinin response of the isolated tissues on rat paw oedema and pleurisy caused by different phlogistic agents. The CE (50 to 200 mg/kg), given 60 min before, inhibited in a dose-dependent manner bradykinin (BK) and cellulose sulphate-induced paw oedema, maximal inhibition of 59% and 65%, respectively. In the same range dose the CE also significantly antagonized pleural exudate and cell infiltration caused by these substances, maximal inhibition of 34% and 46%, respectively. In addition, the CE (100 and 200 mg/kg) also inhibited paw oedema induced by serotinin, PAF-acether and zymozan, maximal inhibition of 55%, 38% and 46%, respectively, but enhanced histamine oedema. However, the CE revealed only partial or no inhibition in pleural exudate caused by these agents. The CE (100 and 200 mg/kg) also inhibited in a dose and time-dependent manner carrageenan-induced paw oedema with a maximal inhibition of 44%, but only partially affected carrageenan-induced pleural exudate. The CE also partially inhibited dextran oedema, but even at a higher dose (400 mg/kg) it failed to interfere with Bothrops Jaracaca-induced paw oedema. The CE inhibited BK and to a lesser extent cellulose sulphate-induced cell migration, but failed to interfer with the differential leukocyte migration in the pleural cavity. These findings provide evidence that the CE from M. velutina, besides antagonizing kinin action, exhibit an oral anti-oedematogenic activity against a variety of phologistic agents, but it was more effective in inhibiting those models where kinins are more involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]