Cholesterol removal from media by lactococci.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Biochemistry
• Probiotics

Background:

• Elevated serum cholesterol is a risk factor for coronary heart disease.
• Lactobacillus acidophilus has demonstrated hypocholesterolemic effects by removing cholesterol.
• Investigating other bacterial genera for similar cholesterol-lowering properties is warranted.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate cholesterol removal capabilities of Lactococcus strains.
• To identify specific Lactococcus strains with significant cholesterol-binding activity.
• To assess the potential of Lactococcus strains as probiotics for managing cholesterol levels.

Main Methods:

• Culturing seven Lactococcus strains in cholesterol-containing media.
• Quantifying cholesterol removal without degradation.
• Analyzing growth characteristics and cell composition of cholesterol-removing strains.
• Comparing cholesterol removal by viable and heat-killed cells.

Main Results:

• All tested Lactococcus strains removed cholesterol from media without degradation.
• Cholesterol removal varied among strains; Lc. Lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis N7 showed high efficacy.
• Strain N7 exhibited enhanced growth and altered fatty acid composition when removing cholesterol.
• Cholesterol removal was observed in both viable and heat-killed N7 cells, but higher in viable cells.

Conclusions:

• Lc. Lactis N7 demonstrates significant cholesterol removal capacity, comparable to known beneficial strains.
• The ability of strain N7 to remove cholesterol is independent of cell viability.
• Strain N7 shows promise as a probiotic for in vivo cholesterol management and hypocholesterolemic effects.