Screening of Potential Probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria with Anticancer Properties

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Cancer Research
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Probiotics show promise in reducing colorectal cancer recurrence and treatment side effects.
• Identifying novel probiotic strains with anticancer activity is crucial for therapeutic development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To isolate lactic acid bacteria from healthy Thai newborn feces.
• To screen these isolates for beneficial probiotic and anticancer properties.

Main Methods:

• Isolation of lactic acid bacteria from fecal samples.
• Assessment of cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines (Caco-2, U937) using MTT assay.
• Evaluation of probiotic potential through acid and bile tolerance tests.
• Identification of promising strains using nucleotide sequence homology.

Main Results:

• Several lactic acid bacteria isolates exhibited significant antiproliferative effects against Caco-2 and U937 cancer cell lines.
• Seven candidate strains showed no cytotoxicity towards normal Vero cells.
• All selected strains demonstrated good tolerance to acidic conditions (pH 2-4) and bile concentrations (1-4%), with one exception.
• Identified strains include Enterococcus faecalis, Lactobacillus salivarius, and Enterococcus faecium.

Conclusions:

• Lactic acid bacteria with both anticancer and robust probiotic properties were successfully isolated.
• These findings support the potential of specific lactic acid bacteria strains as adjunct therapies in cancer treatment.