<i>Lactobacillus rhamnosus</i> probiotic prevents airway function deterioration and promotes gut microbiome resilience in a murine asthma model

Abstract

Allergic asthma is a highly prevalent inflammatory disease of the lower airways, clinically characterized by airway hyperreactivity and deterioration of airway function. Immunomodulatory probiotic bacteria are increasingly being explored to prevent asthma development, alone or in combination with other treatments. In this study, wild-type and recombinant probiotic <i>Lactobacillus rhamnosus</i> GR-1 were tested as preventive treatment of experimental allergic asthma in mice. Recombinant <i>L. rhamnosus</i> GR-1 was designed to produce the major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1, to promote allergen-specific immunomodulation. Administration of wild-type and recombinant <i>L. rhamnosus</i> GR-1 prevented the development of airway hyperreactivity. Recombinant <i>L. rhamnosus</i> GR-1 also prevented elevation of airway total cell counts, lymphocyte counts and lung IL-1β levels, while wild-type <i>L. rhamnosus</i> GR-1 inhibited airway eosinophilia. Of note, a shift in gut microbiome composition was observed after asthma development, which correlated with the severity of airway inflammation and airway hyperreactivity. In the groups that received <i>L. rhamnosus</i> GR-1, this asthma-associated shift in gut microbiome composition was not observed, indicating microbiome-modulating effects of this probiotic. These data demonstrate that <i>L. rhamnosus</i> GR-1 can prevent airway function deterioration in allergic asthma. Bet v 1 expression by <i>L. rhamnosus</i> GR-1 further contributed to lower airway inflammation, although not solely through the expected reduction in T helper 2-associated responses, suggesting involvement of additional mechanisms. The beneficial effects of <i>L. rhamnosus</i> GR-1 correlate with increased gut microbiome resilience, which in turn is linked to protection of airway function, and thus further adds support to the existence of a gut-lung axis.