Probiotic effect on Helicobacter�pylori attachment and inhibition of inflammation in human gastric epithelial cells

Abstract

<i>Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)</i> is a major cause of chronic gastritis, gastric ulcers and gastric cancer. Recent studies have identified that probiotics are beneficial to human health due, in part, to their anti-<i>H. pylori</i> activities. Therefore, the present study investigated the antagonistic and local immunoregulatory activities of seven commercial probiotic strains and explored their mechanisms of actions. The human gastric epithelial cell line-1 (GES-1) was used to assess the effects of probiotics on the adhesion ability of <i>H. pylori</i>. GES-1 cells were infected with <i>H. pylori</i> plus lipopolysaccharide (<i>HP-LPS</i>) or the drug-resistant <i>H. pylori</i> strain (<i>HP021</i>) in the presence or absence of live probiotics. Following this, the growth rate and the adhesion ability of GES-1 cells were detected using MTT and urease activity assay. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), NFKB inhibitor-α (IκBα) and nuclear factor (NF)-κB levels were measured by western blot analysis. The amount of interleukin (IL)-8 in the cell culture medium was determined by ELISA. Amongst the seven probiotic strains studied, live <i>Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus)</i> and <i>Lactobacillus bulgaricus (L. bulgaricus)</i> inhibited <i>H. pylori</i> adherence to GES-1 cells most significantly. <i>L. bulgaricus</i> inhibited IL-8 production by GES-1 cells through modulation of the TLR4/IκBα/NF-κB pathway. Therefore, the present results suggested that consumption of food containing <i>L. acidophilus</i> and <i>L. bulgaricus</i> may be used as an adjuvant therapy for <i>H. pylori</i>-associated gastritis.