Encapsulated Probiotics & Gut Microbiota

Summary

The aim of this study is to determine whether encapsulation of probiotic bacteria using natural plant protein can enhance bacterial colonisation. Lactobacillus rhamnosus is an ideal strain for the intervention, as it has been shown to affect overall gut health, gut-brain axis, and brain function. Twenty-five participants aged 25 to 65 years will be recruited and assessed on four occasions to compare the blood and faecal effects of a 28-day ingestion of a yoghurt beverage with and without the probiotic strain of interest. The study window will be 70+/13 days. The current study will provide important information on the physiological function of probiotics in the small bowel. Understanding the underlying physiological effects of targeted probiotic delivery to the intestine and the impact on the microbiome is important for health outcomes.

Timeline

Start

2026-04

Primary completion

2026-06

Completion

2026-08

Publications

• Background Zhou JS, Shu Q, Rutherfurd KJ, Prasad J, Gopal PK, Gill HS. Acute oral toxicity and bacterial translocation studies on potentially probiotic strains of lactic acid bacteria. Food Chem Toxicol. 2000 Feb-Mar;38(2-3):153-61. doi: 10.1016/s0278-6915(99)00154-4.
• Background Zhou JS, Shu Q, Rutherfurd KJ, Prasad J, Birtles MJ, Gopal PK, Gill HS. Safety assessment of potential probiotic lactic acid bacterial strains Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001, Lb. acidophilus HN017, and Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 in BALB/c mice. Int J Food Microbiol. 2000 May 25;56(1):87-96. doi: 10.1016/s0168-1605(00)00219-1.
• Background Zhou JS, Pillidge CJ, Gopal PK, Gill HS. Antibiotic susceptibility profiles of new probiotic Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains. Int J Food Microbiol. 2005 Feb 1;98(2):211-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2004.05.011.
• Background Zheng Y, Yu Z, Zhang W, Sun T. Lactobacillus rhamnosus Probio-M9 Improves the Quality of Life in Stressed Adults by Gut Microbiota. Foods. 2021 Oct 8;10(10):2384. doi: 10.3390/foods10102384.
• Background Zahr NM, Mayer D, Pfefferbaum A, Sullivan EV. Low striatal glutamate levels underlie cognitive decline in the elderly: evidence from in vivo molecular spectroscopy. Cereb Cortex. 2008 Oct;18(10):2241-50. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhm250. Epub 2008 Jan 29.
• Background Yao M, Xie J, Du H, McClements DJ, Xiao H, Li L. Progress in microencapsulation of probiotics: A review. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2020 Mar;19(2):857-874. doi: 10.1111/1541-4337.12532. Epub 2020 Feb 11.
• Background Wu D, Lewis ED, Pae M, Meydani SN. Nutritional Modulation of Immune Function: Analysis of Evidence, Mechanisms, and Clinical Relevance. Front Immunol. 2019 Jan 15;9:3160. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.03160. eCollection 2018.
• Background World Medical Association. World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki: ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. JAMA. 2013 Nov 27;310(20):2191-4. doi: 10.1001/jama.2013.281053. No abstract available.
• Background Wickens KL, Barthow CA, Murphy R, Abels PR, Maude RM, Stone PR, Mitchell EA, Stanley TV, Purdie GL, Kang JM, Hood FE, Rowden JL, Barnes PK, Fitzharris PF, Crane J. Early pregnancy probiotic supplementation with Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 may reduce the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus: a randomised controlled trial. Br J Nutr. 2017 Mar;117(6):804-813. doi: 10.1017/S0007114517000289. Epub 2017 Apr 3.
• Background Rode J, Edebol Carlman HMT, Konig J, Repsilber D, Hutchinson AN, Thunberg P, Andersson P, Persson J, Kiselev A, Lathrop Stern L, Salomon B, Mohammed AA, Labus JS, Brummer RJ. Probiotic Mixture Containing Lactobacillus helveticus, Bifidobacterium longum and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Affects Brain Responses Toward an Emotional Task in Healthy Subjects: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Front Nutr. 2022 Apr 29;9:827182. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.827182. eCollection 2022.
• Background Moro-Garcia MA, Alonso-Arias R, Baltadjieva M, Fernandez Benitez C, Fernandez Barrial MA, Diaz Ruisanchez E, Alonso Santos R, Alvarez Sanchez M, Saavedra Mijan J, Lopez-Larrea C. Oral supplementation with Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus 8481 enhances systemic immunity in elderly subjects. Age (Dordr). 2013 Aug;35(4):1311-26. doi: 10.1007/s11357-012-9434-6. Epub 2012 May 30.
• Background Hutchinson AN, Bergh C, Kruger K, Susserova M, Allen J, Ameen S, Tingo L. The Effect of Probiotics on Health Outcomes in the Elderly: A Systematic Review of Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Studies. Microorganisms. 2021 Jun 21;9(6):1344. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms9061344.
• Background Gbassi GK, Vandamme T. Probiotic encapsulation technology: from microencapsulation to release into the gut. Pharmaceutics. 2012 Feb 6;4(1):149-63. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics4010149.
• Background Claesson MJ, Jeffery IB, Conde S, Power SE, O'Connor EM, Cusack S, Harris HM, Coakley M, Lakshminarayanan B, O'Sullivan O, Fitzgerald GF, Deane J, O'Connor M, Harnedy N, O'Connor K, O'Mahony D, van Sinderen D, Wallace M, Brennan L, Stanton C, Marchesi JR, Fitzgerald AP, Shanahan F, Hill C, Ross RP, O'Toole PW. Gut microbiota composition correlates with diet and health in the elderly. Nature. 2012 Aug 9;488(7410):178-84. doi: 10.1038/nature11319.
• Background 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.
• Background Halverson T, Alagiakrishnan K. Gut microbes in neurocognitive and mental health disorders. Ann Med. 2020 Dec;52(8):423-443. doi: 10.1080/07853890.2020.1808239. Epub 2020 Aug 31.
• Background Gill HS, Rutherfurd KJ, Cross ML. Dietary probiotic supplementation enhances natural killer cell activity in the elderly: an investigation of age-related immunological changes. J Clin Immunol. 2001 Jul;21(4):264-71. doi: 10.1023/a:1010979225018.
• Background Costabile A, Bergillos-Meca T, Rasinkangas P, Korpela K, de Vos WM, Gibson GR. Effects of Soluble Corn Fiber Alone or in Synbiotic Combination with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and the Pilus-Deficient Derivative GG-PB12 on Fecal Microbiota, Metabolism, and Markers of Immune Function: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study in Healthy Elderly (Saimes Study). Front Immunol. 2017 Dec 12;8:1443. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.01443. eCollection 2017.
• Background Christensen SE, Moller E, Bonn SE, Ploner A, Wright A, Sjolander A, Balter O, Lissner L, Balter K. Two new meal- and web-based interactive food frequency questionnaires: validation of energy and macronutrient intake. J Med Internet Res. 2013 Jun 5;15(6):e109. doi: 10.2196/jmir.2458.
• Background Anderson LA, Goodman RA, Holtzman D, Posner SF, Northridge ME. Aging in the United States: opportunities and challenges for public health. Am J Public Health. 2012 Mar;102(3):393-5. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300617. Epub 2012 Jan 19. No abstract available.
• Background Bjelland I, Dahl AA, Haug TT, Neckelmann D. The validity of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. An updated literature review. J Psychosom Res. 2002 Feb;52(2):69-77. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3999(01)00296-3.
• Background Betzel RF, Byrge L, He Y, Goni J, Zuo XN, Sporns O. Changes in structural and functional connectivity among resting-state networks across the human lifespan. Neuroimage. 2014 Nov 15;102 Pt 2:345-57. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.07.067. Epub 2014 Aug 7.
• Background Bagga D, Aigner CS, Reichert JL, Cecchetto C, Fischmeister FPS, Holzer P, Moissl-Eichinger C, Schopf V. Influence of 4-week multi-strain probiotic administration on resting-state functional connectivity in healthy volunteers. Eur J Nutr. 2019 Aug;58(5):1821-1827. doi: 10.1007/s00394-018-1732-z. Epub 2018 May 30.

Drugs

Indications

No indication recorded.