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Studies on Lactic Acid Bacteria and Their Products in Health and Diseases: 3rd Edition

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2026 | Viewed by 6381

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ilavenil Soundharrajan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Grassland and Forages Division, National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration, Cheonan 31000, Republic of Korea
Interests: obesity; muscle cells; adipocytes; biological role of natural compounds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are ubiquitous microorganisms that can be found in many natural sources such as plants, mammal’s intestinal mucosa, and fermented foods. They are generally recognized as safe for food applications. Direct supplementation of LAB as probiotics or LAB-driven fermented products poses a wide range of health-promoting effects on molecular and metabolic processes in humans and animals, including protection against infection-causing agents, free radical-scavenging effects, targeting obesity and related metabolic diseases, anti-diabetes activity, immunomodulatory and allergy reaction mediation, anti-cancer effects, prevention of antibiotic-associated complications, reduction in blood pressure, modulation of gut-associated microbial population, enhancing nutrient utilization, etc. Therefore, the current Special Issue will bring together recent research on the role of LAB in the prevention/management of metabolic diseases and disorders, with the aim of producing a better understanding of its biological mechanisms. The different disciplinary topics include but are not limited to the following:

  • Probiotic LAB;
  • Nutrition;
  • Gut-associated microbes;
  • Metabolic diseases and disorders;
  • Carbohydrate and fat metabolisms;
  • Insulin-resistance and sensitivity;
  • Free radicals, antioxidants, hepatoprotective processes;
  • Myogenesis, adipogenesis, osteogenesis;
  • Nutrient utilization;
  • Immunomodulation and inflammation.

Dr. Ilavenil Soundharrajan
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • lactic acid bacteria

  • probiotics health benefits
  • gut microbiota modulation
  • functional foods with biological applications
  • immunomodulatory mechanisms
  • antimicrobial peptide production and its mechanisms
  • host-microbe interactions
  • functional dairy and meat products
  • inflammatory bowel diseases
  • metabolic health improvement
  • bioactive microbial metabolites
  • food safety and management
  • metabolic diseases and disorders
  • antibiotic-associated complications

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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30 pages, 1009 KB  
Review
Advances in Genetic Transformation of Lactic Acid Bacteria: Overcoming Barriers and Enhancing Plasmid Tools
by Aleksei S. Rozanov, Leonid A. Shaposhnikov, Kseniya D. Bondarenko and Alexey E. Sazonov
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(18), 9146; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26189146 - 19 Sep 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3600
Abstract
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are central to food fermentation, probiotic delivery, and emerging synthetic biology applications, yet their robust cell envelopes and restriction–modification systems complicate DNA uptake. This review synthesizes practical routes for introducing DNA into LAB—natural competence, electroporation, conjugation, phage-mediated transduction, and [...] Read more.
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are central to food fermentation, probiotic delivery, and emerging synthetic biology applications, yet their robust cell envelopes and restriction–modification systems complicate DNA uptake. This review synthesizes practical routes for introducing DNA into LAB—natural competence, electroporation, conjugation, phage-mediated transduction, and biolistics—and outlines vector systems for expression and chromosomal editing, including food-grade strategies. We highlight recent advances that broaden strain tractability while noting strain-to-strain variability and host-specific barriers that still require tailored solutions. These advances directly enable applications in food and probiotic biotechnology, including improving starter robustness, tailoring flavor and texture pathways, and installing food-grade traits without residual selection markers. We close with near-term priorities for standardizing protocols, widening replicon compatibility, and leveraging modern genome-editing platforms to accelerate safe, marker-free engineering of industrial and probiotic LAB. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Studies on Lactic Acid Bacteria and Their Products in Health and Diseases: 3rd Edition)
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16 pages, 5831 KB  
Article
Lactiplantibacillus plantarum HY7718 Attenuates Renal Injury in an Adenine-Induced Chronic Kidney Disease Mouse Model via Inhibition of Inflammation and Apoptosis
by Hyeonji Kim, Ji-Woong Jeong, Haeryn Jeong, Daehyeop Lee, Hyeonjun Gwon, Kippuem Lee, Joo-Yun Kim, Jae-Jung Shim and Jae-Hwan Lee
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(20), 10052; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262010052 - 15 Oct 2025
Viewed by 774
Abstract
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) causes a variety of health problems including renal dysfunction and cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to investigate whether the probiotic strain Lactiplantibacillus plantarum HY7718 (HY7718) can protect against CKD using HK2 cells and a CKD mouse model, generated by [...] Read more.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) causes a variety of health problems including renal dysfunction and cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to investigate whether the probiotic strain Lactiplantibacillus plantarum HY7718 (HY7718) can protect against CKD using HK2 cells and a CKD mouse model, generated by feeding mice a diet containing 0.15% adenine. In vitro tests showed that HY7718 was anti-inflammatory in H2O2-treated HK2 cells and reduced apoptosis of tumor necrosis factor-α/cycloheximide-induced HK2 cells. In the adenine-induced CKD model, markers of renal dysfunction (blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Crea)) and inorganic calcium and phosphorus were markedly increased. However, oral administration of HY7718 (108 colony-forming units/kg/day) significantly attenuated these increases. HY7718 also reduced the kidney histopathological score, including tubular necrosis, cast formation, and tubular dilatation, as well as the mononuclear cell infiltration score in kidney tissue, suggesting that it could reverse the progression of CKD. Additionally, HY7718 downregulated the renal expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes and members of the TLR/NF-κB signaling pathway. Furthermore, HY7718 reduced tubule apoptotic cells and expression of apoptosis-related genes, indicating that it is potentially renoprotective. These results demonstrate that supplementation with the probiotic HY7718 can ameliorate CKD symptoms by improving renal function and reducing kidney injury. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Studies on Lactic Acid Bacteria and Their Products in Health and Diseases: 3rd Edition)
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11 pages, 1723 KB  
Brief Report
Stimulation of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells with Lactococcus lactis Strain Plasma Elicits Antiviral Effects Against H1N1 and SARS-CoV-2
by Zhao Xuan Low, Owen Woo, Osamu Kanauchi, Pouya Hassandarvish, Vunjia Tiong and Sazaly AbuBakar
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(23), 11573; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262311573 - 28 Nov 2025
Viewed by 597
Abstract
Viruses, like influenza and Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), remain major causes of upper respiratory tract infections worldwide, with symptoms ranging from asymptomatic to lethal outcomes. While antivirals and vaccines have helped ameliorate disease morbidity and mortality, these infections still pose [...] Read more.
Viruses, like influenza and Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), remain major causes of upper respiratory tract infections worldwide, with symptoms ranging from asymptomatic to lethal outcomes. While antivirals and vaccines have helped ameliorate disease morbidity and mortality, these infections still pose significant challenges. Probiotics, including Lactococcus lactis strain plasma (LC-Plasma), have recently shown antiviral effects by activating plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), though their detailed mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) collected from healthy participants with LC-Plasma and conducted immunological analyses to investigate the immunomodulatory mechanisms of LC-Plasma. The supernatant derived from LC-Plasma-stimulated PBMCs (LCP Sup) exhibited dose-dependent inhibition of replication in Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 (H1N1) and SARS-CoV-2. LCP Sup significantly reduced the SARS-CoV-2 viral load in Huh-7 cells. However, in the H1N1 antiviral assay using A549 cells, LCP Sup was required at a higher concentration against H1N1 in A549 cells compared with SARS-CoV-2 in Huh-7 cells. Treatment with LCP Sup significantly upregulated interferon-stimulated genes (ISG) expression, particularly MxA, in A549 cells. While MxA showed the most notable increase, other ISGs also exhibited elevated expression levels compared with the negative control. Other cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors were also induced by LC-Plasma and CpG-DNA stimulation, and the effects of LC-Plasma were much higher than those of CpG-DNA. These results provide in vitro evidence of the antiviral mechanisms of LC-Plasma via upregulation of interferon-α (IFN-α) and related ISGs for host defense against respiratory viruses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Studies on Lactic Acid Bacteria and Their Products in Health and Diseases: 3rd Edition)
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10 pages, 834 KB  
Article
The Effect of Cell-Free Metabolites of Vaginal Lactobacilli on HeLa Cells Is Independent of Lactic Acid Concentration
by Yulia Myachina and Andrey Sgibnev
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(24), 11929; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262411929 - 11 Dec 2025
Viewed by 452
Abstract
It remains unclear how metabolites produced by vaginal peroxide-producing lactobacilli influence parameters supporting cervical cancer cell survival. The aim of our study was to investigate the functional response of HeLa cells to cell-free metabolites of vaginal lactobacilli producing peroxide under conditions of oxidative [...] Read more.
It remains unclear how metabolites produced by vaginal peroxide-producing lactobacilli influence parameters supporting cervical cancer cell survival. The aim of our study was to investigate the functional response of HeLa cells to cell-free metabolites of vaginal lactobacilli producing peroxide under conditions of oxidative stress. HeLa cells were treated with cell-free metabolites of lactobacilli isolated from the vaginal fluid of healthy women. Subsequently, their resistance to oxidative stress (total number of surviving, apoptotic, and necrotic cells), dehydrogenase activity with the MTT assay, and mitochondrial potential were measured. Pretreatment with cell-free lactobacilli metabolites significantly reduced HeLa cell survival under oxidative stress in most cases; dehydrogenase activity and mitochondrial potential changed to a lesser extent. All HeLa cells pretreated with cell-free lactobacillus metabolites that died due to oxidative stress died apoptotic death. These effects of cell-free lactobacilli metabolites are not always determined by lactic acid levels. These data reveal a new mechanism by which vaginal lactobacilli exert local antitumor protection by inducing controlled cell death in transformed cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Studies on Lactic Acid Bacteria and Their Products in Health and Diseases: 3rd Edition)
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17 pages, 1317 KB  
Article
Development of the Efficient Electroporation Protocol for Leuconostoc mesenteroides
by Kseniya D. Bondarenko, Leonid A. Shaposhnikov, Aleksei S. Rozanov and Alexey E. Sazonov
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(24), 11933; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262411933 - 11 Dec 2025
Viewed by 578
Abstract
Leuconostoc mesenteroides is a key microorganism in food biotechnology, valued for its production of flavor-forming metabolites and exopolysaccharides, and its inclusion in starter cultures and biocatalytic systems. However, the application of advanced genetic tools to L. mesenteroides remains hindered by multiple barriers, including [...] Read more.
Leuconostoc mesenteroides is a key microorganism in food biotechnology, valued for its production of flavor-forming metabolites and exopolysaccharides, and its inclusion in starter cultures and biocatalytic systems. However, the application of advanced genetic tools to L. mesenteroides remains hindered by multiple barriers, including inefficient DNA transfer, elevated endogenous nuclease activity, and restriction–modification systems sensitive to plasmid methylation patterns. As a result, even widely accepted electroporation methodologies often yield inconsistent or irreproducible transformation results, limiting the strain’s amenability to metabolic engineering and synthetic biology applications. In this study, a reproducible electroporation protocol for the L. mesenteroides strain H32-02 Ksu is developed and experimentally validated. The protocol concept relies on the sequential optimization of key process steps: targeted weakening of the cell wall followed by osmotic protection, the development of a gentle electrical stimulus that ensures membrane permeability without critical damage, and the creation of recovery conditions that minimize loss of viability and degradation of incoming DNA. Matching plasmid methylation to the recipient’s restriction profile proved critical: choosing a source for plasmid DNA production with a compatible methylation pattern dramatically increased the likelihood of successful transformation. In our case, the selection of an E. coli strain with a more suitable methylation profile increased the yield of transformants by 3.5 times. It was also shown that reducing the pulse voltage increase transformant number by 3 times. The combined optimization resulted in an approximately 40-fold increase in transformation efficiency compared to the baseline level and, for the first time, provided consistently reproducible access to transformants of this strain. The highest transformation efficiency was achieved: 8 × 102 CFU µg−1 DNA. The presented approach highlights the strain-specificity of barriers in Leuconostoc and forms a technological basis for constructing strains with desired properties, expressing heterologous enzymes, and subsequently scaling up bioprocesses in food and related industries. The methodological principles embodied in the protocol are potentially transferable to other lactic acid bacteria with similar limitations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Studies on Lactic Acid Bacteria and Their Products in Health and Diseases: 3rd Edition)
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