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Probiotics in Health and Disease

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 June 2025 | Viewed by 1245

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: gut microbiota; probiotics; postbiotics; Lactobacillus

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Probiotics are intensively used, and, consequently, they have become the regular, first-choice microbial-based therapy for intestinal dysbiosis. This stems from accumulating scientific evidence confirming their functionality in in vitro, in vivo, and (pre)clinical trials. Their importance also results from the knowledge that probiotic species, by balancing intestinal microbiota, in addition to preventing or treating intestinal disorders, can impact diseases linked to the gut–liver–brain axis and many others. Moreover, documented probiotics activities have been recognized in specialized subjects such as newborns and certain patient groups, such as people with irritable bowel diseases. Therefore, this Special Issue invites all studies describing the molecular mechanisms and/or probiotic cellular structures associated with probiotic–host interactions in health or disease. This includes the molecular patterns by which probiotic strains regulate adhesion and colonization processes, exclude enteropathogens, influence the host metabolism, or exert immunomodulation effects, alongside research using omics approaches to study specific dysbioses, with an emphasis on an integrated multiomics overview of the host and the microbiota to understand the underlying mechanisms during conditions of health and disease. This issue is also dedicated to the importance of a critical approach due to increasing probiotic strains becoming available on the market, inviting articles considering the importance of assuring their safety and quality.

Dr. Tena Niseteo is a scientist (Topical Advisory Panel in IJMS), who will assist Professor Novak in managing this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Jasna Novak
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • probiotic
  • microbiota
  • quality
  • dysbiosis

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 2917 KiB  
Article
Stevia Leaf Extract Fermented with Plant-Derived Lactobacillus plantarum SN13T Displays Anticancer Activity to Pancreatic Cancer PANC-1 Cell Line
by Rentao Zhang, Narandalai Danshiitsoodol, Masafumi Noda, Sayaka Yonezawa, Keishi Kanno and Masanori Sugiyama
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(9), 4186; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26094186 - 28 Apr 2025
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Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is a highly malignant tumor that remains a significant global health burden. In this study, we demonstrated the anticancer potential of stevia leaf extract fermented with plant-derived Lactobacillus (L.) plantarum SN13T strain. Evaluation of antioxidant capacity (including DPPH and [...] Read more.
Pancreatic cancer is a highly malignant tumor that remains a significant global health burden. In this study, we demonstrated the anticancer potential of stevia leaf extract fermented with plant-derived Lactobacillus (L.) plantarum SN13T strain. Evaluation of antioxidant capacity (including DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities and H2O2-induced oxidative damage repair in HEK-293 cells), as well as cytotoxicity against pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1) and non-cancerous human embryonic kidney (HEK-293), revealed that the fermented extract exhibited significantly enhanced antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity against PANC-1 cells while showing minimal toxicity to HEK-293 cells compared to the unfermented extract. Further, validation through clonogenic, migration, and wound-healing assays demonstrated that the fermented extract effectively inhibited the proliferation and migration of PANC-1 cells. The active compound in the fermented extract has been identified as chlorogenic acid methyl ester (CAME), with a concentration of 374.4 μg/mL. Flow cytometry analysis indicated that CAME significantly arrested PANC-1 cells in the G0/G1 phase and induced apoptosis. Furthermore, CAME upregulated the expression of pro-apoptotic genes Bax, Bad, Caspase-3/9, Cytochrome c, and E-cadherin, while downregulating the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2. These findings suggest that CAME exerts potent cytotoxic effects on PANC-1 cells by inhibiting cell proliferation and migration, arresting the cell cycle, and regulating apoptosis-related gene expression. In conclusion, stevia leaf extract fermented with L. plantarum SN13T, which contains CAME, may serve as a promising candidate for pancreatic cancer treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Probiotics in Health and Disease)
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20 pages, 2622 KiB  
Article
In Vitro Analysis of Probiotic Properties Related to the Adaptation of Levilactobacillus brevis to Intestinal Microenvironment and Involvement of S-Layer Proteins
by Nina Čuljak, Krešo Bendelja, Andreja Leboš Pavunc, Katarina Butorac, Martina Banić, Ana Savić Mlakar, Željko Cvetić, Jana Hrsan, Jasna Novak, Jagoda Šušković and Blaženka Kos
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(6), 2425; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26062425 - 7 Mar 2025
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Abstract
Although rare, the ability to produce surface S-layer proteins is beneficially associated with particular Lactobacillus strains being investigated as probiotics. Therefore, this work aimed to study specific probiotic functionalities of selected Levilactobacillus brevis strains MB1, MB2, MB13 and MB20, isolated from human milk [...] Read more.
Although rare, the ability to produce surface S-layer proteins is beneficially associated with particular Lactobacillus strains being investigated as probiotics. Therefore, this work aimed to study specific probiotic functionalities of selected Levilactobacillus brevis strains MB1, MB2, MB13 and MB20, isolated from human milk microbiota, and to assess the contribution of S-proteins. Firstly, Rapid Annotation using Subsystem Technology revealed that cell wall-related genes were abundant in analysed L. brevis genomes. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that S-proteins mediate aggregation capacity and competitive exclusion of selected pathogens by L. brevis strains. The improvement of Caco-2 epithelial monolayer barrier function was demonstrated by the increase in JAM-A and occludin expressions when L. brevis strains or S-proteins were added, with the effect being most pronounced after treatment with MB2 and S-proteins of MB1. L. brevis strains, especially MB20, exerted the potential to adhere to recombinant human ZG16. Strain MB2 and MB20-S-proteins improved the barrier function of HT29 epithelial monolayer, as evidenced by increased ZG16 expression. Analysed L. brevis strains and S-proteins differentially affected the protein expression of IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8, and IL-10 cytokines. The most prominent effect was observed by S-proteins of MB20, since IL-1β production was decreased while IL-10 production was significantly increased. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Probiotics in Health and Disease)
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