SUMMARY BackgroundThe effects of probiotic bacteria in IBS remain controversial.

During this 8-week trial gastrointestinal symptoms improved. However, there was no difference between treatment with fermented milk containing probiotics or acidified milk. The effect of probiotics on IBS symptoms remains uncertain and further studies are warranted.

Lactic acid bacteria are probiotics widely used in functional food products, with a variety of beneficial effects reported. Recently, intense research has been carried out to provide insight into the mechanism of the action of probiotic bacteria. We have used gene array technology to map the pattern of changes in the global gene expression profile of the host caused by Lactobacillus administration. Affymetrix microarrays were applied to comparatively characterize differences in gene transcription in the distal ileum of normal microflora (NMF) and germ-free (GF) mice evoked by oral administration of two Lactobacillus strains used in fermented dairy products today -Lactobacillus paracasei ssp. paracasei F19 (L. F19) or Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFB 1748. We show that feeding either of the two strains caused very similar effects on the transcriptional profile of the host. Both L. F19 and L. acidophilus NCFB 1748 evoked a complex response in the gut, reflected by differential regulation of a number of genes involved in essential physiological functions such as immune response, regulation of energy homeostasis and host defence. Notably, the changes in intestinal gene expression caused by Lactobacillus were different in the mice raised under GF v. NMF conditions, underlying the complex and dynamic nature of the host-commensal relationship. Differential expression of an array of genes described in this report evokes novel hypothesis of possible interactions between the probiotic bacteria and the host organism and warrants further studies to evaluate the functional significance of these transcriptional changes on the metabolic profile of the host.

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