Screening probiotics from Lactobacillus strains according to their abilities to inhibit pathogen adhesion and induction of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-8.

Probiotics can be screened according to their abilities to inhibit pathogen adhesion and inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Eleven Lactobacillus strains isolated from traditional fermented dairy foods in Xinjiang, China, were studied for their potential to inhibit adhesion of Escherichia coli to intestinal epithelial cells and to inhibit E. coli-induced production of interleukin (IL)-8 by intestinal epithelial cells. The results showed that the 11 strains could inhibit adhesion of E. coli to Caco-2 cell monolayers and inhibit the induction of IL-8 production by E. coli in HT-29 cells. The inhibiting activities of the Lactobacillus strains against E. coli adhesion and IL-8 induction were strain-specific and not positively correlated, whereas the excluding activity of the strains against E. coli adhesion and their coaggregation with E. coli were positively correlated. The effector molecules of the strains with probiotic potential should be identified to explain the mechanism behind these observations.