Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 Probiotics May Increase CC-Chemokine Receptor 7 Expression in Infants Treated With for Colic

Abstract

Aim: Studies have shown that Lactobacilli reute ri probiotics can affect cells that play a key role in the immune system. This in vivo Italian study investigated how Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 influenced CC-chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) in breastfed colicky infants. Methods: Our University hospital in Turin recruited 50 healthy outpatients, at a median age of approximately 1 month, from September 2017 to August 2018. They were randomized to daily Lactobacillus reuteri DSM17938 (1 × 10 8 cfu) or a placebo for 28 days from recruitment. We collected peripheral blood and evaluated the expression of CCR7 messenger ribonucleic acid using the real-time TaqMan reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction method at baseline and after the study period. Results: We found increased expression of CC-chemokine receptor 7 in infants treated with the probiotic, but not the controls ( p < 0.0026). No differences were observed for interleukin 10 after the study period in either group. At baseline, daily crying time was comparable in the probiotic and control groups: 341 (25) vs. 337 (29) min., respectively ( p = 0.450). After 28 days, daily mean crying time decrease statistically in the probiotic group: 78 (23) vs. 232 (31), respectively ( p < 0.001). Conclusion: The increase in CC-chemokine receptor 7 might have been a response to probiotic treatment. As a relatively small sample was used to conduct this study, our research needs to be replicated in different settings, and over time, to produce comparable findings.

The Effect of Probiotics on Symptoms, Gut Microbiota and Inflammatory Markers in Infantile Colic: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression of Randomized Controlled Trials

“…Ultimately 16 studies were included [19,[33][34][35][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56], the majority of which (n = 7) were conducted in Italy [19,33,45,46,49,50,54]. Intervention sponsorship was not specified for seven studies [19,45,47,48,50,51,53] and two trials [46,52] were financed by governmental institutions.…”

“…Intervention sponsorship was not specified for seven studies [19,45,47,48,50,51,53] and two trials [46,52] were financed by governmental institutions. There were 14 double-blinded studies [19,34,35,[45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][54][55][56], one single-blinded [53] and in one review, the blinding was not specified [33]. The duration of probiotic therapy was: median = 28 days, interquartile range (IQR) = 8 days, range = 14 to 90 days.…”

“…The duration of probiotic therapy was: median = 28 days, interquartile range (IQR) = 8 days, range = 14 to 90 days. The primary probiotic strain utilized in the included studies was Lactobacillus reuteri Deutsche Sammlung von Mikroorganismen (German Collection of Microorganisms; DSM) strain 17938 (n = 9) [19,[33][34][35]47,49,50,52,53,56]. Other probiotic strains were: Bifidobacterium breve BR03 (DSM16604) and B632 (DSM24706) (…”

“…The numbers of males and females were similar (males = 52.73%). In a majority of studies (n = 13) [19,[33][34][35][46][47][48][49][50][51]53,55,56], infantile colic was diagnosed based on Wessel's or modified-Wessel's criteria. In one study, the Rome IV criteria were utilized [45], in one trial Rome III criteria [54] were used, and in one trial parental diaries were used for colic diagnoses [52].…”

“…Several previous studies [19,[33][34][35][36], carried out to find evidence of the efficacy of various probiotic strains in relieving the symptoms of infantile colic, have produced conflicting results. Overall, meta-analyses have reported that microbial probiotics, predominantly including Lactobacillus reuteri strains, have significantly shortened crying duration in CN [37][38][39].…”