A Novel Formulation of Bifidobacterium Longum BB536 and Lactobacillus Rhamnosus HN001 With Vitamin B6 on IBS Patients (LLB)

A Novel Formulation of Bifidobacterium Longum BB536 and Lactobacillus Rhamnosus HN001 With Vitamin B6 on IBS Patients

The Beneficial Effects of a Novel Formulation of Bifidobacterium Longum BB536 and Lactobacillus Rhamnosus HN001 With Vitamin B6 on Gut Microbiota and Intestinal Permeability in IBS Patients.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most frequent functional gastrointestinal disorder with a prevalence ranging from 10 to 15 percent. IBS results from an interaction among several factors, including genetic predisposition, gastrointestinal motility, visceral hypersensitivity, immune activation with minimal inflammation, alterations in intestinal microbiota, increased intestinal permeability, and food sensitivity. Of note, the management of patients with IBS is critical. Since quantitative and qualitative disturbances of intestinal microbiota can occur in IBS, interesting data support the use of probiotics to modulate intestinal microbiota. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of a novel formulation of B. longum BB536 and L. rhamnosus HN001 with vitamin B6 on the gut microbiota and intestinal permeability in IBS subjects.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most frequent functional gastrointestinal disorder with a prevalence ranging from 10 to 15 percent. It is characterized by recurrent chronic abdominal pain or discomfort in the absence of detectable organic causes with two or more of the following conditions: onset associated with a change in frequency of stool, onset associated with a change in form (appearance) of stool, or improvement with defecation. IBS results from an interaction among several factors, including genetic predisposition, gastrointestinal motility, visceral hypersensitivity, immune activation with minimal inflammation, alterations in intestinal microbiota, increased intestinal permeability, and food sensitivity. IBS is associated with a high economic burden for the health care costs and work absenteeism. The disease course is represented by unchanged symptoms in 30 to 50 percent or progression of symptoms in 2 to 18 percent. On the other hand, an improvement in symptoms was recorded in 12 to 38 percent of patients. Of note, the management of patients with IBS is critical. Several therapeutic options have been proposed looking to the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms (i.e., dietary modification, osmotic laxatives, lubiprostone, guanylate cyclase agonists, 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) 4 receptor agonists, antidiarrheal agents, bile acid sequestrants, 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) 3 receptor antagonists, antispasmodic agents, antidepressants, antibiotics, probiotics, behavior modification, anxiolytics, mast cell stabilizer, and fecal transplantation). Since quantitative and qualitative disturbances of intestinal microbiota can occur in IBS, interesting data support the use of probiotics to modulate intestinal microbiota. The genus Bifidobacterium is one of the most representative member of the intestinal microbiota with large effects on overall gut physiology. Its metabolic activity results from the degradation of oligo-fructose, production of acetate, and promotion of butyrate production by means of cross-feeding. In particular, B. longum has beneficial effects on the immune system, and can be considered a promising candidate for prevention/treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. The combination of specific bacterial strains of Lactobacillus with Bifidobacterium species plays an interesting role in reserving the intestinal dysbiosis. The synergic action results in survival on adverse gastrointestinal conditions, adhesion to intestinal mucosa, immunomodulatory activities, and restoration of gut environment. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of a novel formulation of B. longum BB536 and L. rhamnosus HN001 with vitamin B6 on the gut microbiota and intestinal permeability in IBS subjects.

Patients entered the following program: A run-in period of one month when symptoms, intestinal permeability, intestinal microbiota, and dietary evaluations were performed; Phase 1: randomization to treatment or placebo lasting 30 days; Wash-out period lasting 15 days, at the end of which symptoms were assessed; Phase 2: switch to next treatment in a crossover fashion. Treatment lasted for 30 days and at the end symptoms, intestinal permeability, and intestinal microbiota were evaluated again.

The study design is a crossover randomized double-blind two-block placebo-controlled single center trial with an allocation ratio of 1:1 conducted between February 2017 and May 2018. Subjects are randomized at baseline visit to receive Block 1 (Zircombi 3 g, containing Bifidobacterium longum BB536 four billion CFU, Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 one billion CFU with B6 vitamin 1.4 mg) and Block 2 (placebo: maltodextrins, corn starch, silicon dioxide) depending on the randomization sequence. Subjects received one sachet pack daily containing placebo or probiotic. The active treatment was undistinguishable from placebo by physical and organoleptic characteristics. Participants in the study followed a free diet.

Twenty-five IBS patients (Rome IV criteria) (M:F= 8:17; age 48 yrs ± 11 SD) were enrolled and randomized to treatment or placebo in a a crossover randomized double-blind two-block placebo-controlled trial. Abdominal pain and bloating, intestinal habits, severity of disease, intestinal permeability, and intestinal microbiota were performed at the different time points.

Developed by Francis et al. (1997), and categorized as follows: remission (score <75), mild (75-175), moderate (175-300) and severe (>300).

To assess bowel movements, consisting of a self-report instrument for classifying stool form into seven types ranging from "separate hard lumps like nuts" (type 1) to "watery, no solid pieces" (type 7)

A custom-designed questionnaire, tested across different ages, and anthropometric groups in health and disease, to measure anthropometric data, medical history, lifestyle and daily intake of foods. Frequency (day, week or month) and portion sizes (small, medium and large, represented by color pictures) of food consumption were estimated by using 35 food items (156 foods).The adherence to a Mediterranean diet was calculated by analyzing nine food categories with a score ranging from 0 point (lowest adherence) to 18 points (highest adherence).

It was assessed by oral administration of four sugar probes, which selectively characterize the permeability from different tracts of the gastrointestinal system. Sucrose (SO) was used as a marker of gastro-duodenal permeability; lactulose (LA) and mannitol (MA) were used as markers of small intestine permeability also as (LA/MA), and sucralose (SU) as marker of 8 colonic permeability.

It was evaluated by faecal samples (5 g) were mixed with 45 mL sterilized physiological solution and homogenized.

Biolog Eco microplates (Biolog, Inc., Hayward, CA, USA) were used to estimate the microbial diversity.

Three grams of fecal sample were placed into 10 mL glass vials and added with 10 μL of 4-methyl- 2-pentanol (final concentration of 33 mg/L) as the internal standard.

Inclusion Criteria: Diagnosis of IBS according to Rome IV Criteria Exclusion Criteria: Diagnosis of structural abnormality of the GI tract Inflammatory bowel disorders Biliary duct obstructions Gallstones Abdominal surgery within the previous six months Infective diseases Drug or alcohol abuse Metabolic disturbances Mental illness Concomitant immunological, haematological or neoplastic disease Severe hepatic insufficiency (i.e., Child-Pugh class C) Severe heart failure (NYHA class III-IV)

Clinica Medica "A. Murri", Department of Biomedical Sciences & Human Oncology, University of Bari Medical School

Lovell RM, Ford AC. Global prevalence of and risk factors for irritable bowel syndrome: a meta-analysis. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2012 Jul;10(7):712-721.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2012.02.029. Epub 2012 Mar 15.

Mearin F, Lacy BE, Chang L, Chey WD, Lembo AJ, Simren M, Spiller R. Bowel Disorders. Gastroenterology. 2016 Feb 18:S0016-5085(16)00222-5. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2016.02.031. Online ahead of print.

Bonfrate L, Tack J, Grattagliano I, Cuomo R, Portincasa P. Microbiota in health and irritable bowel syndrome: current knowledge, perspectives and therapeutic options. Scand J Gastroenterol. 2013 Sep;48(9):995-1009. doi: 10.3109/00365521.2013.799220.

Camilleri M. Peripheral mechanisms in irritable bowel syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2012 Oct 25;367(17):1626-35. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1207068. No abstract available.

Sandler RS, Everhart JE, Donowitz M, Adams E, Cronin K, Goodman C, Gemmen E, Shah S, Avdic A, Rubin R. The burden of selected digestive diseases in the United States. Gastroenterology. 2002 May;122(5):1500-11. doi: 10.1053/gast.2002.32978.

El-Serag HB, Pilgrim P, Schoenfeld P. Systemic review: Natural history of irritable bowel syndrome. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2004 Apr 15;19(8):861-70. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2004.01929.x.

Hill C, Guarner F, Reid G, Gibson GR, Merenstein DJ, Pot B, Morelli L, Canani RB, Flint HJ, Salminen S, Calder PC, Sanders ME. Expert consensus document. The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics consensus statement on the scope and appropriate use of the term probiotic. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2014 Aug;11(8):506-14. doi: 10.1038/nrgastro.2014.66. Epub 2014 Jun 10.

Markowiak P, Slizewska K. Effects of Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics on Human Health. Nutrients. 2017 Sep 15;9(9):1021. doi: 10.3390/nu9091021.

Milani C, Lugli GA, Duranti S, Turroni F, Mancabelli L, Ferrario C, Mangifesta M, Hevia A, Viappiani A, Scholz M, Arioli S, Sanchez B, Lane J, Ward DV, Hickey R, Mora D, Segata N, Margolles A, van Sinderen D, Ventura M. Bifidobacteria exhibit social behavior through carbohydrate resource sharing in the gut. Sci Rep. 2015 Oct 28;5:15782. doi: 10.1038/srep15782.

Falony G, Vlachou A, Verbrugghe K, De Vuyst L. Cross-feeding between Bifidobacterium longum BB536 and acetate-converting, butyrate-producing colon bacteria during growth on oligofructose. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2006 Dec;72(12):7835-41. doi: 10.1128/AEM.01296-06. Epub 2006 Oct 20.

Rios-Covian D, Gueimonde M, Duncan SH, Flint HJ, de los Reyes-Gavilan CG. Enhanced butyrate formation by cross-feeding between Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Bifidobacterium adolescentis. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2015 Nov;362(21):fnv176. doi: 10.1093/femsle/fnv176. Epub 2015 Sep 28.

Khailova L, Petrie B, Baird CH, Dominguez Rieg JA, Wischmeyer PE. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Bifidobacterium longum attenuate lung injury and inflammatory response in experimental sepsis. PLoS One. 2014 May 15;9(5):e97861. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0097861. eCollection 2014.

Toscano M, De Grandi R, Stronati L, De Vecchi E, Drago L. Effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 and Bifidobacterium longum BB536 on the healthy gut microbiota composition at phyla and species level: A preliminary study. World J Gastroenterol. 2017 Apr 21;23(15):2696-2704. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v23.i15.2696.