Effects of oral intake of heat-killed Lactobacillus brevis SBC8803 (SBL88™) on dry skin conditions: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Abstract

Lactobacilli are important in intestinal homeostasis, which involves the regulation of immune function, digestive health, cholesterol absorption and intestinal tumor growth amongst others. Our previous investigations have suggested that oral intake of heat-killed Lactobacillus brevis (L. brevis) SBC8803 (SBL88™) suppresses dermatitis by modulating the immune function in an atopic dermatitis mouse model. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of heat-killed L. brevis SBC8803 intake on skin hydration conditions in humans. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted with volunteers with slightly higher levels of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) on the forearm. The subjects (126 people aged between 21 and 59 years) were randomly allocated to three groups so that the level of TEWL and the age were distributed equally among the groups. The subjects took placebo or heat-killed L. brevis SBC8803 at a daily dose of 25 or 50 mg for 12 weeks. Following the exclusion of eight subjects for plausible reasons (two withdrawals from the study, two for study violations, one for not meeting exclusion criteria and three due to their physical condition), 118 subjects were subjected to the analysis. The results of the present study revealed that following the analysis of the whole populations, marginal differences were observed in TEWL (for example, suppression of skin water loss) at the neck in the 25 mg/day group at week 8 and at the lower eye region in the 50 mg/day group at week 4 (P=0.05 and 0.09, respectively, compared with the placebo group analyzed by Dunnett's test). A significant increase in corneal hydration was also observed at the neck in the 25 mg/day group at week 12 (P=0.06, as compared with the placebo group as analyzed by Dunnett's test). In the analysis of the subpopulations whose habitual frequency of taking lactic fermentation products was less than once per week, the levels of corneal hydration at the neck (in the 50 mg/day group) and lower eye region (in the 25 mg/day group) were significantly increased at week 12 (P<0.05). In conclusion, the results of the present investigation suggest that oral intake of heat-killed L. brevis SBC8803 is effective at improving skin hydration conditions in populations with low habitual frequency of taking lactic fermentation products.

Systematic review and meta‐analysis: Effect ofHelicobacter pylorieradication on chronic spontaneous urticaria

“…Several studies demonstrated that HP‐positive samples exhibited decreased gastric microbiotic diversity; this suggests that HP infection may likely trigger dysbiosis of the gut microbiota, which in turn affects the immune system, potentially initiating the development of CSU. Various skin diseases such as acne, atopic dermatitis, and psoriasis are considered as examples of dysbiosis and oral probiotics improved skin symptoms in several studies . Intestinal microbiota is considered to modulate skin dyshomeostasis via gut‐skin axis, possibly by inducing systemic immunity to gut bacteria and migration of such bacteria to the skin via the bloodstream .…”

The Gut Microbiome as a Major Regulator of the Gut-Skin Axis

“…This effect was reproduced in human clinical research. After taking L. brevis SBC8803 oral supplements for 12 weeks, human subjects had significantly decreased TEWL and significantly increased corneal hydration ( Ogawa et al, 2016 ). In a separate placebo-controlled human study, bacterial supplementation was shown to have a positive effect on skin barrier function ( Guéniche et al, 2013 ).…”

Probiotics with ameliorating effects on the severity of skin inflammation in psoriasis: Evidence from experimental and clinical studies

“…Interestingly, such experimental evidence was also observed in human clinical trials. Oral supplementation of L. brevis SBC8803 for 3 months could profoundly reduce TEWL and increase epidermal hydration in human subjects (Ogawa et al, 2016). The findings of a clinical trial showed that barrier function of cutaneous could be positively affected by bacterial administration (Gueniche et al, 2013).…”