Adaptation to Aerobic Environment of Lactobacillus johnsonii/gasseri Strains

Abstract

Oxygen is considered one of the main factors affecting probiotic bacteria survival due to the induction of oxidative damages caused by the action of reactive oxygen species (ROS). It has been shown that oxidative stress resistance in lactic acid bacteria is strongly dependent on the type of cell metabolism. Shift from fermentative to respiratory metabolism (through the addition of heme and menaquinone and in presence of oxygen) was associated to increase in biomass, long-term survival, and production of antioxidant enzymes. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of aerobic (presence of oxygen) and respiratory (presence of oxygen, heme, and menaquinone) cultivation on the growth kinetic, catalase production, oxygen uptake, and oxidative stress response of Lactobacillus johnsonii/gasseri strains previously isolated from infant feces. Seven strains showed to consume oxygen under aerobic and respiratory conditions. The strain AL5 showed a catalase activity in both growth conditions, while AL3 showed this activity only in respiratory condition. Respiratory condition improved their tolerance to oxidative compounds (hydrogen peroxide and ROS generators) and further they showed promising probiotic features. The exploration of respiratory competent phenotypes with probiotic features may be extremely useful for the development of competitive starter or probiotic cultures.

Optimization of β-galactosidase Production by Batch Cultures of Lactobacillus leichmannii 313 (ATCC 7830™)

“…The efficient sugar utilization and higher levels of ATP produced lead to higher biomass levels [35,38]. This phenomenon has been demonstrated in Streptococcus mutans [39], as well as in some lactobacilli, such as L. johnsonii and L. gasseri [40], L. plantarum [41], and L. leichmannii 313 [36]. Based on these findings (shown in Figure 2), subsequent experiments in this study were carried out under static conditions.…”

Comparative Genomics of Lactobacillus crispatus from the Gut and Vagina Reveals Genetic Diversity and Lifestyle Adaptation

“…Meanwhile, the Suf protein complex helps to assemble or repair oxygen-labile Fe-S clusters under oxidative stress [44,45]. In addition, hydrogen peroxide could further react with some Fe 2+ iron to result in high-activity oxidants through the Fenton reaction [46]. This highly active oxidant might have a stronger inhibitory effect on pathogens in the vagina and a more positive effect on reproductive health, but this requires further testing to verify.…”

Extrusion of Dissolved Oxygen by Exopolysaccharide From Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Its Implications in Relief of the Oxygen Stress

“…In order to exert a beneficial effect, a probiotic needs to be administered in sufficiently high numbers, and thus it is imperative that the probiotic survive cultivation, processing, and storage. However, unfortunately, most of the probiotics developed so far are strictly or facultatively anaerobic, and the toxicity of oxygen became a negative factor that restricts the manufacture, storage, and application of these probiotics ( Ruiz et al, 2012 ; Hill et al, 2014 ; Maresca et al, 2018 ). Therefore, from the technological perspective, it is an urgent demand to investigate the mechanisms of oxygen tolerance, as findings on this issue would allow the development of efficient techniques to protect these probiotics from oxygen toxicity and ensure the maintenance of adequate cell numbers in the final products.…”