Effects of kefir fermented milk beverage on sodium dextran sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in rats.

Background And Aim: The etiopathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with different factors such as genetic, infectious, immunological, and environmental, including modification of the gut microbiota. IBD's conventional pharmacological therapeutic approaches have become a challenge due to side effects, complications from prolonged use, and higher costs. Kefir fermented milk beverage is a functional food that has demonstrated multiple beneficial effects including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity.

Immunomodulation and nitric oxide restoration by a probiotic and its activity in gut and peritoneal macrophages in diabetic rats.

Background: The hyperglycemia leads to increased oxidative stress, causing lipid peroxidation and imbalance in the immune system.

Aims: To investigate the effect of Kefir - a probiotic containing different strains - on metabolic parameters, cytokines, nitric oxide (NO) production, phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages and intestinal modulation in diabetes.

Methods: Wistar rats received injection of streptozotocin (45 mg/kg, intravenously) and diabetes was defined as glycemia ≥200 mg/dL.

Kefir administration reduced progression of renal injury in STZ-diabetic rats by lowering oxidative stress.

This study aimed at assessing the effects of Kefir, a probiotic fermented milk, on oxidative stress in diabetic animals. The induction of diabetes was achieved in adult male Wistar rats using streptozotocin (STZ). The animals were distributed into four groups as follows: control (CTL); control Kefir (CTLK); diabetic (DM) and diabetic Kefir (DMK).

Association of a probiotic to a Helicobacter pylori eradication regimen does not increase efficacy or decreases the adverse effects of the treatment: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Background: The treatment for the eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is complex; full effectiveness is rarely achieved and it has many adverse effects. In developing countries, increased resistance to antibiotics and its cost make eradication more difficult.

Fatty acid profile, trans-octadecenoic, α-linolenic and conjugated linoleic acid contents differing in certified organic and conventional probiotic fermented milks.

Development of dairy organic probiotic fermented products is of great interest as they associate ecological practices and benefits of probiotic bacteria. As organic management practices of cow milk production allow modification of the fatty acid composition of milk (as compared to conventional milk), we studied the influence of the type of milk on some characteristics of fermented milks, such as acidification kinetics, bacterial counts and fatty acid content. Conventional and organic probiotic fermented milks were produced using Bifidobacterium animalis subsp.

B-1 cells are pivotal for in vivo inflammatory giant cell formation.

The mechanisms that govern giant cell (GC) formation in inflammatory, neoplastic and physiologic conditions are far from being understood. Here, we demonstrate that B-1 cells are essential for foreign-body GC formation in the mouse. GCs were analysed on the surface of glass cover slips implanted into the subcutaneous tissue of the animals.