The effects of viable and non-viable Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305 cells on colonic ion transport and corticotropin releasing factor-induced diarrhea.

The effect of non-viable lactic acid bacteria on gastrointestinal physiology and dysfunction remains still unclear. Previous clinical trials have reported that Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305 (CP2305) exerts stress-relieving and anti-flatulent effects regardless of cell viability. In this study, we investigated the effect of viable and non-viable CP2305 cells on electrical field stimulation (EFS)-evoked increases in short-circuit current (I) using the Ussing chamber technique. In mucosal-submucosal preparations of rats, both viable and non-viable CP2305 cells significantly and acutely inhibited the EFS-evoked increases in I in the middle and distal colon and rectum but not in proximal colon. The inhibition of EFS-evoked I differed from strain to strain. Peripheral injection of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) is known to mimic diarrhea symptoms in rats. Therefore, we examined the chronic effects of CP2305 cells on CRF-induced diarrhea in the rat model. Treatment with viable and non-viable CP2305 cells significantly improved CRF-induced diarrhea in the rat model. However, the treatment did not affect the fecal pellet output. These findings suggest that CP2305 has an important role in gastrointestinal physiology and dysfunction.