Orally Administrated Lactobacillus gasseri TMC0356 Inhibits Growth of Tumors Transplanted into Mice

• Published in: Bioscience and Microflora Vol. 28; no. 2; pp. 39 - 43
• Main Authors: Qi WANG, Jingzhi PAN, Manabu KAWASE, Masaru HIRAMATSU, Fang HE
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japan Bifidus Foundation 2009
• ISSN: 1342-1441

Lactobacillus gasseri TMC0356 (TMC0356), a probiotic strain originally isolated from the human intestine, was tested for its anti-tumor activities in vivo in murine tumor models. Oral administration of TMC0356 characteristically inhibited the growth of sarcoma S-180 (S-180) and hepatoma H22 (H22) cells, which had been implanted in mice. Serum gamma interferon was significantly enhanced during TMC0356 administration of 1,000 mg/kg in S-180-bearing mice (p<0.01). Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-18 were also altered, though these changes were not statistically significant. These results indicate that the anti-tumor effects of TMC0356 might, at least in part, arise from the impact of this bacterium on cell-mediated immunity in host animals. Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. It accounted for 4.9 million deaths (around 13% of all deaths) in 2007, thus ranking it the second deadliest disease after heart disease (20). Chemotherapy, the use of medications to treat cancer, currently plays a major role in cancer treatment.