L. acidophilus NCFM™, B. lactis 420, L. salivarius Ls-33 and E. coli O157:H7 effect on intestinal epithelial cells

Analysis of differentiated Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cell line cocultured with probiotics L. acidophilus NCFM™, B. lactis 420, L. salivarius Ls-33 bacterial cells or treated with cell-free supernatant, and with E. coli O157:H7 cell-free supernatant. Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are important genera suggested to be beneficial for human health and E. coli O157:H7 is a pathogen causing hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. Results provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of probiotics on intestinal epithelial cells and a comparison to pathogenic E. coli. Differentiated Caco-2 cells were cocultured with either L. acidophilus NCFM™, B. lactis 420, and L. salivarius Ls-33 bacteria for 8 hours or with L. acidophilus NCFM™, B. lactis 420, L. salivarius Ls-33, and E. coli O157:H7 cell-free media for 24 hours. As a control a medium-only treatment was used. For probiotics seven samples were analyzed in duplicate with intestinal epithelial cells: three treated with cell-free supernatant, three co-cultures and a control. For EHEC, six samples were analyzed similarly with intestinal epithelial cells: three supernatant samples and three control samples all done as single replica.