<i>Lactiplantibacillus plantarum</i> ZJ316 Reduces <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> Adhesion and Inflammation by Inhibiting the Expression of Adhesin and Urease Genes

Abstract

SCOPE: The present study aims to investigate the anti-Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ZJ316 (L. plantarum ZJ316) both in vitro and in vivo. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study finds that L. plantarum ZJ316 effectively suppresses H. pylori adhesion in inhibition (Pre-ZJ316), competition (Co-ZJ316), and displacement (Post-ZJ316) assays, and Pre-ZJ316 displaying the most potent inhibitory effect with an impressive inhibition ratio of 70.14%. Upon anti-adhesion, L. plantarum ZJ316 significantly downregulates the expression of H. pylori virulence genes, including ureA, ureB, flaA, and sabA, with inhibition ratios of 46.83%, 24.02%, 21.42%, and 62.38% at 2 h, respectively. In addition, L. plantarum ZJ316 is observed to reduce the level of interleukin 8 (IL-8) and improve cell viability in infected AGS cells. Furthermore, in vivo studies show that supplementation with L. plantarum ZJ316 effectively hinders H. pylori colonization and significantly suppresses the infiltration of immune cells and IL-8 production with H. pylori infection, protecting host from inflammatory damage. CONCLUSION: L. plantarum ZJ316 exhibits excellent adhesion inhibition on H. pylori, and may be used as a probiotic candidate in the prevention or adjuvant therapy of gastric disease caused by H. pylori.