Characterisation of Lactobacillus fermentum SM-7 isolated from koumiss, a potential probiotic bacterium with cholesterol-lowering effects

Abstract

The results suggested that L. fermentum SM-7 is a potential probiotic bacterium with cholesterol-lowering effects.

Hypocholesterolaemic Effects of Probiotics

“…In mice, L. fermentum SM-7 significantly reduced serum TC and LDL-C but did not increase HDL-C significantly [6]. The study also showed that there was no bacterial translocation in the liver, spleen, or kidney of the treated mice indicating safety of the Lactobacillus strain [6].…”

“…Kumar et al [67] revealed a 23% reduction in plasma TC, 38% reduction in LDL-C and 19% increase in HDL-C of rats fed with L. plantarum Lp91, a bile salt hydrolase producing strain. The faecal excretion of cholic acid was also found to be significantly higher in the probiotic-fed rats [6].…”

“…The increase in cholesterol 7-α-hydroxylase may explain the increase in fecal bile excretion and low serum cholesterol level observed by Jeun et al [5] since bile acid formation is a major pathway of cholesterol excretion from the body. Recently, Pan et al [6] isolated L. fermentum SM-7 from a fermented milk drink (koumiss) and it was found to exhibit acid and bile tolerance and exhibited antimicrobial activity against E. coli and S. aureus in vitro. In mice, L. fermentum SM-7 significantly reduced serum TC and LDL-C but did not increase HDL-C significantly [6].…”

“…Recently, Pan et al [6] isolated L. fermentum SM-7 from a fermented milk drink (koumiss) and it was found to exhibit acid and bile tolerance and exhibited antimicrobial activity against E. coli and S. aureus in vitro. In mice, L. fermentum SM-7 significantly reduced serum TC and LDL-C but did not increase HDL-C significantly [6]. The study also showed that there was no bacterial translocation in the liver, spleen, or kidney of the treated mice indicating safety of the Lactobacillus strain [6].…”

“…Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that influence the health of the host by improving their microbial balance. Modifications of intestinal flora have been shown to be beneficial on lipid metabolism in mice [2][3][4][5][6], rats [7][8][9][10][11], guinea pigs [12] and pigs [13]. In contrast, studies in humans [14,15] indicated that the role of fermented milk products as hypocholesterolaemic agents were inconsistent but more reliable effects were documented in the recent clinical studies [16][17][18][19].…”