ReviewMetabolic activities and probiotic potential of bifidobacteria
Highlights
► Metabolic activities of bifidobacteria positively influence host health. ► Bifidobacteria produce the bioactive fatty acid conjugated linoleic acid. ► Bifidobacteria have anti-cancer, anti-diarrhoeal and immunostimulatory properties. ► Disturbances in the gut microbiota can lead to certain metabolic disease states.
Introduction
Since bifidobacteria were first isolated from the faeces of breastfed infants by Henry Tissier from the Pasteur Institute in 1899 (Scardovi and Trovatelli, 1969, Tissier, 1900, Yaeshima and Fujisawa, 1992), they have come to be regarded as one of the most important bacterial groups associated with human health. Bifidobacteria are commonly used as probiotics for human consumption, as they are normal inhabitants of the GIT of humans (Simon and Gorbach, 1984). They have a long history of safe use in fermented milks (Ishibashi and Yamazaki, 2001) and are added to the human diet as food supplements. Bifidobacteria exert numerous positive effects on human health such as prevention of infection by pathogenic bacteria (Wang et al., 2004a, Wang et al., 2004b), immunostimulatory (Furrie et al., 2005) and anti-carcinogenic capabilities (Le Leu et al., 2010), protection against infectious diarrhoea (Saavedra et al., 1994), lowering of serum cholesterol (Xiao et al., 2003) and alleviation of lactose maldigestion (He et al., 2007), all of which will be discussed below.
This review will focus on a number of aspects of Bifidobacterium such as their classification, their origin, bifidobacterial composition of the normal gut microbiota, their metabolic activities and how these activities impact on the human host. The role that bifidobacteria can play in the regulation of host fat tissue composition, through the production of bioactive fatty acids will also be discussed. In addition, the use of bifidobacteria as probiotics and the future implications of their use in human nutrition will be addressed.
Section snippets
Classification
Bifidobacteria are Gram-positive polymorphic rods that can occur singly, in chains or in clumps. These bacteria are non-spore-forming, non-motile, and non-filamentous (Felis and Dellaglio, 2007). Their morphology ranges from uniform to branched bifurcated Y and V forms which are spatula or club shaped (Leahy et al., 2005). The branching nature of bifidobacteria is strain- and media-dependent (Tannock, 1999). They are obligate anaerobes (some strains can tolerate oxygen in the presence of carbon
Bifidobacterial genomics
The public genomic databases to date contain 18 complete bifidobacterial genomes, in addition to a large number of ongoing sequence projects (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genomes/lproks.cgi). The first bifidobacterial genome to be sequenced and made public was B. longum NCC2705 (Schell et al., 2002). The genome was 2.26 Mb comparable to LAB genomes ranging from 1.8 to 2.6 Mb (Siezen et al., 2004). The sequencing of the B. longum NCC2705 genome was a considerable step forward, as previously there
Gut microbiota — composition
The resident microbiota in the GIT is a heterogeneous microbial ecosystem harbouring up to 1 × 1014 colony-forming units of bacteria (Berg, 1996, Morelli et al., 1998, Vaughan et al., 2000, Zboril, 2002) i.e. 10- to 100-fold more genes than the human genome and providing regulatory signals for immune and gastrointestinal maturation (O'Hara and Shanahan, 2006, Round and Mazmanian, 2009, Shanahan, 2009). It is estimated that the GIT of healthy adults accommodates around 300–400 various cultivable
Characteristics and effects of conjugated linoleic acid isomers
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a natural component of ruminant milk and tissue fat, and is a mixture of positional and geometric conjugated isomers of the essential fatty acid linoleic acid. The major biologically active CLA isomers are cis-9, trans-11 CLA (c9, t11-CLA) and trans-10, cis-12 CLA (t10, c12-CLA), (Ip et al., 1994, Park et al., 1999). About 80% of CLA found in milk fat is c9, t11-CLA, a consequence of the microbial biohydrogenation of dietary linoleic and linolenic acids in the
Bifidobacteria as probiotics
Probiotics are described as such as ‘live microorganisms, which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host’ (FAO/WHO, 2002). Bifidobacteria are used globally as probiotics in many food products such as yoghurt, milk, infant formula, cheese, and dietary supplements (Champagne et al., 2005, Charalampopoulos et al., 2002, Mattila-Sandholm et al., 2002, Phillips et al., 2006, Vinderola et al., 2000). As discussed above, Bifidobacterium can have positive influences on
Conclusions and future implications
As bifidobacterial genomics expands, our understanding of this probiotic bacterium increases. One important aspect of bifidobacteria that needs further investigation is their interactions as an indigenous bacterium within a host organism. Furthermore, the interactions of bifidobacteria introduced as new probiotic species with the resident bifidobacteria in the GIT need further research. This would determine if more symbiotic associations can be influenced by the introduction of probiotic
Acknowledgements
This work was funded by SFI funds, and the Irish Government under the National Development Plan 2000–2006. David Russell is an APC student funded by the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre (APC).
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