Probiotic Bifidobacterium lactis, anti-oxidant vitamin E/C and anti-inflammatory dha attenuate lung inflammation due to pm2.5 exposure in mice

Abstract

The incidence of asthma and allergic diseases of the airways is constantly increasing, both in the industrialised and developing countries, due to harmful and excessive quantities of air pollution. Although some studies have shown an effect of dietary supplementation of specific nutrients (especially with anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties) in reducing airways inflammatory response, the results are not yet conclusive and the science is still at its infancy. Our hypothesis is that combining such nutrients could provide more benefits than using them alone. The aim of the research project proposed here is to investigate whether specific combinations of nutrients (docosahexanoic acid, vitamin C and E, and Bifidobacterium lactis strain BB-12®, included in an engineered diet) can act synergistically to reduce inflammation given by high level of air pollution. Beside the role of docosahexanoic acid, vitamins C and E on airways inflammatory disease, no study examined the effect of the supplementation of this probiotic strain in pathological conditions caused by air pollution so far. Herein we used a well-established in vivo model for the study of pollution effects, which consists in female BALB/c mice receiving by pharyngeal aspiration either a sham or a particulate matter with diameter <2.5 μm (PM 2.5) containing aerosol. Before treatment, mice were fed either a chow or a supplemented diet. By performing histological analyses and gene expression profiles on lung sections and serum measurement of the cytokine interleukin 10, we found that a specific combination of all the aforementioned nutrients rather than nutrients alone had a synergistic protective effect against PM2.5-induced inflammation. In conclusion, our study support that a supplemental nutritional intervention based on a combination of the probiotic B. lactis BB-12, the anti-oxidant vitamin C and E, and the anti-inflammatory docosahexanoic acid represents a rational option for alleviating air pollution-related lung inflammation.

Exposure to diesel exhaust particles results in altered lung microbial profiles, associated with increased reactive oxygen species/reactive nitrogen species and inflammation, in C57Bl/6 wildtype mice on a high-fat diet

“…Understanding the interactions between environmental PM exposures, diet, microbiome, and the immune system is significant in the development of therapeutic alternatives in diseases. Although there has been significant interest in probiotic influences in disease states, fewer studies have investigated the effects of probiotics on airpollution PM induced inflammation [34,35]. Considering this gap in knowledge, we investigated whether exposure to diesel exhaust particles (DEP) results in inflammation and alterations in the lung microbiota in wild-type C57Bl/6 mice on either a standard mouse chow vs. HF diet.…”

Prenatal Fine Particulate Matter, Maternal Micronutrient Antioxidant Intake, and Early Childhood Repeated Wheeze: Effect Modification by Race/Ethnicity and Sex

“…Epidemiological studies report that increased maternal antioxidant intake in pregnancy may protect against effects of ambient PM 2.5 on other developmental outcomes and risk biomarkers, such as newborn leukocyte telomere length [ 39 ], infant neurobehavior [ 40 ], and allergic disease in adolescents [ 41 ]. Recent animal studies show that the antioxidant vitamins C and E protect against lung inflammation due to PM 2.5 exposure in mice [ 42 ], but studies considering prenatal exposure remain limited.…”

Role of Vitamin E in Boosting the Immunity from Neonates to Elderly

“…While indirectly it has aid the modulation of inflammatory intermediaries like proinflammatory cytokines and prostaglandin E2. The studies in mice suggests that inflammatory lung disease can be treated with the combination of probiotic strain Bifidobacterium lactis and vitamin E, C to lessen the lung inflammation due to air polluting agents [87]. In animal models, the -tocopherol possess the anti-inflammatory and -tocopherol with pro-inflammatory property it could be used in the treatment of asthma [88].…”