| Lactic Acid Bacteria: Bacteria With Health Benefits | | | | generations of probiotics. Probiotic strains are being |
| Probiotics are living bacteria or other microorganisms | | | | thoroughly characterized and it has been suggested |
| which are beneficial to health when consumed. | | | | that the best results may arise from mixes of |
| Probiotics can be helpful for gastrointestinal infections, | | | | probiotic strains with complementary characteristics, |
| irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel | | | | tailormade for different gastrointestinal diseases. In |
| disease. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) such as | | | | addition, strains of Lactobacillus may soon play a role |
| Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are probiotics that | | | | as delivery systems for vaccines, immunoglobulins |
| have numerous potential therapeutic properties | | | | and other protein based therapies. (Reference: |
| including anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities. | | | | Lactobacillus Molecular Biology: From Genomics to |
| Recent studies with in vitro cell culture clearly | | | | Probiotics ISBN: 978-1-904455-41-7) |
| demonstrate the anti-tumor and anti-cancer effects | | | | Clostridium in Anti-cancer Therapy |
| of LAB. Scientific reports indicate that LAB cultures | | | | The bacterium Clostridium is being considered as an |
| administered to animals inhibit liver, colon, bladder and | | | | alternative strategies to selectively target and |
| mammary tumors. (Reference: Lactobacillus Molecular | | | | destroy cancer cells especially for the treatment of |
| Biology: From Genomics to Probiotics ISBN: | | | | solid tumors. Scientific research has shown that |
| 978-1-904455-41-7) | | | | various non-pathogenic strains of Clostridium have |
| Lactobacillus | | | | been shown to infiltrate and selectively replicate |
| The human intestine contains an huge collection of | | | | within solid tumors. Strains of Clostridium could in the |
| microorganisms. Scientific studies indicate that these | | | | future be used to deliver therapeutic proteins directly |
| gut microbes regulate energy harvest from the diet | | | | and specifically to the solid tumor. This potential has |
| and participate in the peripheral body metabolism. | | | | been demonstrated in preclinical models. Such |
| Most probiotic strains are strains of Lactobacillus. The | | | | tumor-specific therapy is important as the anti-cancer |
| results of a recent evaluation of the role of probiotic | | | | agents need to be targeted specifically to the tumor. |
| Lactobacillus strains in natural infections in animals and | | | | However, bacterial systems for tumor-specific |
| humans indicate a promising future for coming | | | | therapy has not yet undergone clinical trials. |