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Assessing the Viability of a Synthetic Bacterial Consortium on the In Vitro Gut Host-microbe Interface
Published on: July 4, 2018
Bovine milk fat globules containing probiotics enhance colonisation resistance, pathogen exclusion and macrophage
Arpita Das1, Divya Singh1, Rama N Behera1
1Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247667, India.
Abstract:
Probiotics are widely used to manage gastrointestinal disorders; however, their therapeutic effects have been limited by rapid transit and degradation in the gut. Milk fat globules (MFGs) have recently gained attention as a bio-carrier that can shield probiotics and enhance their functionality under gastrointestinal stress. The present study hypothesises that MFGs enhance the survival and functionality of probiotics (e.g., L. fermentum, L. mesenteroides) by supporting colonisation resistance and modulating host immune responses. MFGs+L. fermentum exhibited significantly higher exclusion of enteric pathogens (e.g., E. coli, S. enterica, S. flexineri, K. pneumoniae, and P. aeruginosa) and synergistically attenuated oxidative stress. Mass spectrometric analysis revealed adaptive shifts in pathways of amino-acid biosynthesis, peptidoglycan assembly, transporters, and metabolism. Flow cytometry-based marker analysis showed that MFG-containing L. fermentum downregulated inflammatory markers (CD11b, CD14) in macrophages, promoting a more balanced immune state. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that MFGs enhance probiotic resilience, gut microbiome, and immune modulation.
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