Probiotic Leuconostoc mesenteroides ssp. cremoris and Streptococcus thermophilus induce IL-12 and IFN-γ production

Figure 1 Dose-dependent cytokine production in human PBMC (2 × 10⁶/mL) stimulated with Streptococcus pyogenes and 11 probiotic bacteria (2, 10 and 50 bacteria/cell) for 24 h, mean ± SEM, n = 4. A representative experiment out of two is shown. GAS: Streptococcus pyogenes; THS: Streptococcus thermophilus THS; LGG: Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG; LC705, Lactobacillus rhamnosus LC705; 1129: Lactobacillus helveticus 1129; 161: Lactobacillus helveticus Lb 161; 1/10: Bifidobacterium longum 1/10; Bb12: Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis Bb12; Bb99, Bifidobacterium breve Bb99; ARH74: Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris ARH74; PIA2, Leuconostoc mesenteroides ssp. cremoris PIA2; PJS: Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp. shermanii JS.

Figure 2 Kinetics of cytokine production in probiotic bacteria-induced human PBMC. (10 bacteria/cell, mean ± SEM, n = 4). See Figure 1 for abbreviations of bacteria.

Figure 3 Kinetics of cytokine mRNA expression in probiotic bacteria-induced human PBMC (pooled samples from four donors), 10 bacteria/cell, 10 &mgr;g RNA/lane on 10 g/L agarose gel and Northern blot analysis with indicated cDNA probes was carried out. Ethidium bromide staining of gels was used to verify equal loading of RNA. See Figure 1 for abbreviations of bacteria. A: S. pyogenes, L. rhamnosus GG or S. thermophilus and B: B. breve, L. mesenteroides, P. freudenreichii.

Figure 4 Kinetics of cytokine production in human PBMC stimulated with bacterial combinations. (10 single bacteria/cell, or three bacteria/cell in the combinations, n = 4). See Figure 1 for abbreviations of bacteria.

Figure 5 Cytokine production in human PBMC stimulated with probiotic bacterial combinations. (10 single bacteria/cell or their combinations at 5/cell for 24 h, mean ± SEM, n = 4). See Figure 1 for abbreviations of bacteria.

Figure 6 Stimulation of PBMC with a combination of gram-positive probiotic bacteria and a gram-negative bacteria for 24 h. (E. coli DH5α or different probiotic bacteria alone at 10 bacteria/cell, or E. coli combined with each probiotic bacterium at 5 bacteria/cells means ± SEM, n = 4). Abbreviations of bacteria see Figure 1.