Aging is an inevitable and ubiquitous progress that affects all living organisms. A total of 18 strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were evaluated on the activation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), an intracellular energy sensor mediating lifespan extension. The cell-free supernatant (CFS) of Lactobacillus fermentum DR9 (LF-DR9), Lactobacillus paracasei OFS 0291 (LP-0291), and Lactobacillus helveticus OFS 1515 (LH-1515) showed the highest activation of AMPK and was further evaluated. The phosphorylation of AMPK by these three LAB strains was more evident in U2OS and C2C12 cells, compared to the other cell lines and control (P
Skin aging, which affects all living organisms, is associated with oxidative stress. Probiotics exhibit antioxidant properties by producing reactive metabolites that counter oxidative stress. We hypothesized that Limosilactobacillus fermentum USM 4189 (LF 4189) has antioxidative properties and may prevent skin aging. In the present study, we used a D-galactose senescence-induced rat model to evaluate the potential antioxidative capability of LF 4189. The results indicated that rats administered LF 4189 exhibited increased plasma antioxidative activity (P=0.004), lipid peroxidation capacity (P=0.007), and skin elasticity compared with untreated aged rats (P=0.005). LF 4189 prevented telomere length shortening (P<0.05), indicating the potential to prevent senescence. A higher apoptotic activity was observed in old rats compared with young rats, whereas LF 4189 reduced the expression of four antioxidative enzyme genes that function as radical scavengers (all P<0.05), suggesting that the LF 4189 group had a reduced need to scavenge free radicals. Our findings indicate the potential of probiotics, such as LF 4189, as an anti-aging dietary intervention with antioxidant potential to improve skin health.
We previously reported that breast milk from women with (W) or without (WO) vaginal yeast infection during pregnancy differs in its immunological and antimicrobial properties, especially against pathogenic vaginal Candida sp.. Here, we investigated the differences in microbiota profiles of breast milk from these groups. Seventy-two breast milk samples were collected from lactating mothers (W, n=37; WO, n=35). The DNA of bacteria was extracted from each breast milk sample for microbiota profiling by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Breast milk from the W-group exhibited higher alpha diversity than that from the WO-group across different taxonomic levels of class (P=0.015), order (P=0.011), family (P=0.020), and genus (P=0.030). Compositional differences between groups as determined via beta diversity showed marginal differences at taxonomic levels of phylum (P=0.087), family (P=0.064), and genus (P=0.067). The W-group showed higher abundances of families Moraxellaceae (P=0.010) and Xanthomonadaceae (P=0.008), and their genera Acinetobacter (P=0.015), Enhydrobacter (P=0.015), and Stenotrophomonas (P=0.007). Meanwhile, the WO-group showed higher abundances of genus Staphylococcus (P=0.046) and species Streptococcus infantis (P=0.025). This study shows that, although breast milk composition is affected by vaginal infection during pregnancy, this may not pose a threat to infant growth and development.