Pagnini Marta, Visciglia Annalisa, Deusebio Giovanni, Pane Marco, Celi Alessandro, Amoruso Angela, Neri Tommaso
Dipartimento di Patologia Chirurgica, Medica, Molecolare e dell'Area Critica, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
Centro Dipartimentale di Biologia Cellulare Cardiorespiratoria, University of Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy.
Nutrients. 2025 Jul 30;17(15):2504. doi: 10.3390/nu17152504.
Probiotics are live microorganisms known for their health-promoting effects, particularly in modulating immune responses and reducing inflammation within the gastrointestinal tract. Emerging evidence suggests probiotics may also influence respiratory health, prompting investigation into their potential therapeutic application in lung inflammation.
This study examined the anti-inflammatory effects of (LS01 DSM 22775) and (B632 DSM 24706) on inflamed pulmonary epithelial cells. Lung carcinoma epithelial cells (A549) and normal bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE) were stimulated with IL-1β and treated with viable and heat-treated probiotics.
CCL-2 levels were significantly reduced by up to 40%, in A549 by viable form (10-10 AFU/g), instead of in 16HBE by heat-treated form (10-10 TFU/g). In A549 cells, TNF-α decreased by 20-80% with all formulations; instead, in 16HBE cells, IL-8 was reduced by viable strains (10 AFU/g) by approximately 50%, while heat-treated strains (10 TFU/g) decreased both IL-6 and IL-8 by 50%. All effective treatments completely inhibited IL-4 and eotaxin and suppressed NF-κB activation in both cell lines, with up to 80% reduction in phospho-p65 levels. In A549 cells, heat-treated strains fully blocked PGE2 production; instead, all four probiotics significantly inhibited COX-2 expression by approximately 50%.
These findings demonstrate that both viable and heat-treated probiotics can modulate inflammatory responses in pulmonary epithelial cells, suggesting their potential application in inflammatory respiratory diseases. Heat-treated formulations may be particularly suited for local administration via inhalation, offering a promising strategy for targeting airway inflammation directly.
益生菌是已知具有促进健康作用的活微生物，尤其在调节免疫反应和减轻胃肠道炎症方面。新出现的证据表明，益生菌也可能影响呼吸道健康，促使人们对其在肺部炎症中的潜在治疗应用进行研究。
本研究检测了[具体益生菌1名称]（LS01 DSM 22775）和[具体益生菌2名称]（B632 DSM 24706）对炎症性肺上皮细胞的抗炎作用。用白细胞介素-1β刺激肺癌上皮细胞（A549）和正常支气管上皮细胞（16HBE），并用活的和热处理的益生菌进行处理。
在A549细胞中，活的形式（10-10 AFU/g）可使CCL-2水平显著降低高达40%，而在16HBE细胞中，热处理形式（10-10 TFU/g）可使CCL-2水平降低。在A549细胞中，所有制剂均可使肿瘤坏死因子-α降低20%-80%；相反，在16HBE细胞中，活菌株（10 AFU/g）可使白细胞介素-8降低约50%，而热处理菌株（10 TFU/g）可使白细胞介素-6和白细胞介素-8均降低50%。所有有效处理均完全抑制白细胞介素-4和嗜酸性粒细胞趋化因子，并抑制两种细胞系中的核因子-κB激活，磷酸化p65水平降低高达80%。在A549细胞中，热处理菌株完全阻断前列腺素E2的产生；相反，所有四种益生菌均显著抑制环氧化酶-2的表达约50%。
这些发现表明，活的和热处理的益生菌均可调节肺上皮细胞中的炎症反应，提示它们在炎症性呼吸道疾病中的潜在应用。热处理制剂可能特别适合通过吸入进行局部给药，为直接靶向气道炎症提供了一种有前景的策略。
