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Biogenics are compounds produced by living organisms such as animals, plants, bacteria, etc. Probiotics and their biogenics are known for their antimicrobial potential. Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate the antibiofilm potential of probiotic-derived biogenics in conjunction with zingerone against the Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 biofilm. Cell-free supernatant (CFS) of potential probiotics Pediococcus acidilactici BNS5B and Lactobacillus fermentum PUM was found to inhibit the growth of Ps. aeruginosa PAO1 maximally among the nineteen isolated lactic acid bacteria. L. fermentum PUM produced precipitated protein fraction (PP), organic acids (OAs), exopolysaccharides (EPSs), biosurfactants (BSs) and various volatile antimicrobial compounds, while Ped. acidilactici BNS5B was found to produce PP, OA, EPS, BS and fewer volatile antimicrobial compounds only. More specifically, CFS and selected biogenics (OA and PP from L. fermentum PUM; OA from Ped. acidilactici BNS5B) of both potential probiotics showed synergy with zingerone against Ps. aeruginosa growth as observed by FIC index (< 0.5). Interestingly, CFS of both potential probiotics in combination with zingerone led to the formation of a more distorted biofilm compared with OA of L. fermentum PUM and zingerone, OA of Ped. acidilactici BNS5B and zingerone, PP of L. fermentum PUM and zingerone as well as their individual counterparts. Similarly, both confocal laser scanning microscopy and XTT assay showed an increased number of dead and impaired cells along with the decreased viability of biofilm cells. Thus, it can be reckoned that a combination of probiotic-derived biogenics and zingerone can have therapeutic application against Ps. aeruginosa infections which needs to be validated clinically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental disorders including depression and anxiety are often comorbid with gut problems, suggesting a bidirectional relationship between mental health and gut function. Several mechanisms might explain this comorbidity, such as inflammation and immune activation; intestinal permeability; perturbations in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis; neurotransmitter/neuropeptide dysregulation; dietary deficiencies; and disturbed gut microbiome composition. The potential of modulating the microbiome–gut–brain axis, and subsequently mental health, through the use of functional foods, is an emerging and novel topic of interest. Fermented foods are considered functional foods due to their putative health benefits. The process of microbial fermentation converts food substrates into more nutritionally and functionally rich products, resulting in functional microorganisms (probiotics), substrates that enhance proliferation of beneficial bacteria in the gut (prebiotics), and bioactive components (biogenics). These functional ingredients act biologically in the gastrointestinal tract and have the ability to modify the gut microbiota, influence translocation of endotoxins and subsequent immune activation, and promote host nutrition. This narrative review explores the theoretical potential of the functional components present in fermented foods to alter gut physiology and to impact the biological mechanisms thought to underpin depression and anxiety. Pre-clinical studies indicate the benefits of fermented foods in relieving perturbed gut function and for animal models of depression and anxiety. However, in humans, the literature relating to the relevance of fermented food for treating or preventing depression and anxiety is sparse, heterogeneous and has significant limitations. This review identifies a critical research gap for further evaluation of fermented foods in the management of depression anxiety in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PS-B1 is a fermented product prepared from soybean milk using indigenous lactic acid bacteria of human origin. It has been demonstrated to possess liver-protective activities because of its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antifibrotic properties in vitro, and improvement of dyslipidemia in vivo. This study evaluated the effects of PS-B1 on high-fat diet induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in a validated Stelic Animal Model (STAM?) for this condition. Mice were treated orally once daily for 4 weeks vehicle (control), PS-B1 (30 g/kg), or PS-B1 (50 g/kg). The results show that compared to the control group, liver weights and plasma triglyceride values tended to decrease in the high-dose PS-B1 group. Histopathological analysis performed by hematoxylin and eosin staining displayed a milder deposition of lipid droplets in the livers of mice in the high-dose PS-B1 group than in livers of the control group. These results suggest that compared with the control group, the PS-B1 administration induced a decreasing trend in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease activity score in the treated groups, accompanied by a decrease in liver weights and liver/plasma triglyceride levels, implying a potential anti-steatosis effect of PS-B1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Candida is a major human fungal pathogen causing infectious conditions predominantly in the elderly and immunocompromised hosts. Although Candida resides as a member of the oral indigenous microbiota in symbiosis, some circumstances may cause microbial imbalance leading to dysbiosis and resultant oral candidiasis. Therefore, oral microbial symbiosis that suppresses the overgrowth of Candida is important for a healthy oral ecosystem. In this regard, probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics can be considered a potential therapeutic and preventive strategy against oral candidiasis. Prebiotics have a direct effect on microbial growth as they stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria and suppress the growth of pathogens. Probiotics render a local protective effect against pathogens and a systemic indirect effect on immunological amelioration. Synbiotics are fusion products of prebiotics and probiotics. This mini review discusses the potential use and associated limitations of probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics for the prevention and treatment of oral candidiasis. We will also introduce biogenics, a recent concept derived from the work on probiotics. Biogenics advocates the use of beneficial bioactive substances produced by probiotic bacteria, whose activities are independent from the viability of probiotic bacteria in human bodies.

Background: Previously, we showed that fragmented Lactobacillus amylovorus CP1563 (CP1563) functions as a dual agonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α and ϒ in vitro and in vivo. Objective: Here, we examined the safety and effect of CP1563 ingestion on body fat in obese class I participants in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial (RCT). Design: In the RCT, 200 participants with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 - 30 kg/m² consumed test beverages with or without 200 mg of CP1563 daily for 12 weeks. In total, 197 subjects completed the study without any adverse effects. Results: Body fat percentage, whole body fat, and visceral fat were significantly decreased in the test group compared with the placebo group (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively). Triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and diastolic blood pressure showed significant reductions in the test group compared with the placebo group (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively). Additionally, significant differences in the changes in blood glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and uric acid were observed between the two groups (p < 0.001, p = 0.004, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, respectively). Improvements in anthropometric measurements and markers were observed in obese class I subjects in the test group. Conclusions: Daily consumption of beverages containing fragmented CP1563 for 12 weeks by obese class I subjects improved anthropometric measurements and markers related to lipid and glucose metabolism without any adverse effects. These results suggest that the consumption of foods containing fragmented CP1563 reduces body fat and prevents metabolic syndrom [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the work was to study the influence of the water taken from one of the most polluted parts of the Peter the Great Bay (the Japan Sea), the Nakhodka Bay, on the growth and chlorophyll a concentration in the cells of microalga P. tricornutum Bohlin (Bacillariophyta). The estimation of the dynamics of cell number growth and chlorophyll a concentration in the cells of microalga grown in the water from the Nakhodka Bay was made. At the same time, in 2007-2008, the main hydrochemical parameters, such as water salinity, dissolved oxygen concentration, BOD, organic and mineral phosphates concentration, anionic surfactants, and total petroleum hydrocarbons, were determined. It is shown that in July 2007, when most hydrochemical parameters were lower than the maximum permissible level, the culture growth and chlorophyll a contents in the cells did not differ from the control for certain. In other seasons these indices differed greatly from the control. The positive correlation between the concentration of dissolved oxygen, phosphates, petroleum hydrocarbons, and the number of microalga cells, grown in the water from the Nakhodka Bay, was shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Few studies have investigated the complementary effects of long-term oral administration of Lactobacillus acidophilus on traditional medical therapy in the treatment of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). Methods: The Atopic Dermatitis Area and Severity Index was used to evaluate AD severity. Symptom severity was assessed using the symptom score. The effect of medical therapy was evaluated by adding the medication score, calculated as the sum of each product of the amount of steroid ointment used for therapy and its designated strength graded on a 4-point scale, to the symptom score. The complementary effect of long-term oral administration of L. acidophilus strain L-92 (L-92) as a probiotic or biogenic strain in patients with AD was evaluated using the symptom-medication score, which was calculated as the sum of the symptom score and medication score. Both a preliminary casuistic study and a double-blinded, placebo-controlled study were performed to evaluate the effects of L-92 on the symptoms of AD in children. Results: Orally administered L-92 significantly ameliorated the symptoms of AD in Japanese children. L-92 also affected the serum concentrations of thymus and activation-regulated chemokine in a time-dependent manner.Conclusions: The results of the preliminary trial and the double-blinded, placebo-controlled study revealed a complementary effect of oral L-92 on the standard medical therapy (topical application of a steroid ointment) in patients with AD that was mediated, at least in part, by alterations in the Th1/Th2 balance. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioassay of water from different parts of the Peter the Great Bay using microalgae P. tricornutum revealed that water quality influences not only the growth but also the physiological state of the microalgae. There was no difference in the cell size between control and experimental cultures. Inhibition of microalgae growth was revealed in water with low phosphates concentration, for example, in the Marine Reserve. High phosphates concentration and moderate organic pollution caused the stimulation of miñroalgae growth in such sites as the Tumen, the Partizanskaya and the Vtoraya rechka rivers mouths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A considerable amount of research has been conducted to study the health benefits of fermented milks. One possible mechanism for the beneficial effects is the involvement of biogenic compounds, which are produced by the action of microorganisms and make the products directly beneficial without the need for live bacteria. Research on the health effects of a pasteurized sour milk, which is fermented by a starter culture containing Lactobacillus helveticus as the predominant microorganism, indicated clear evidence for the involvement of biogenic compounds. In this paper, beneficial effects of sour milk are reviewed with special attention to the effect on anti-hypertension and angiotensin-I converting enzyme inhibitory peptides identified in sour milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]