Bifidobacterium microbiota and parameters of immune function in elderly subjects
Open accessAbstract
Faecal and serum samples were collected over a period of 6 months from 55 institutionalized elderly subjects, who were enrolled in a double-blind placebo-controlled study. Participants were randomized in one of the three treatment groups: intervention (two probiotic Bifidobacterium longum strains: 2C and 46), placebo and commercial control (Bifidobacterium lactis Bb-12). The faecal Bifidobacterium microbiota was characterized by genus and species-specific PCR. Serum levels of the cytokines IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Each participant harboured on average approximately three different bifidobacterial species. The most frequently detected species were B. longum, Bifidobacterium adolescentis and Bifidobacterium bifidum. Depending on the treatment, the intervention resulted in specific changes in the levels of certain Bifidobacterium species, and positive correlations were found between the different species. Negative correlations were observed between the levels of Bifidobacterium species and the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha and the regulatory cytokine IL-10. The presence of faecal B. longum and Bifidobacterium animalis correlated with reduced serum IL-10. The anti-inflammatory TGF-beta1 levels were increased over time in all three groups, and the presence of Bifidobacterium breve correlated with higher serum TGF-beta1 levels. This indicates that modulation of the faecal Bifidobacterium microbiota may provide a means of influencing inflammatory responses.
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Bifidobacterium species have been shown to be negatively correlated with pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels in humans, indicating that modulation of Bifidobacteria may represent a target for reducing the inflammatory response.
“Bifidobacterium species have been shown to be negatively correlated with pro-and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels in humans indicating that modulation of Bifidobacteria may represent a target for reducing the inflammatory response”
From The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis (2019) · cites this paper as Ouwehand et al., 2008
The Abstract reports negative correlations with pro-inflammatory TNF-α and regulatory IL-10 in 55 institutionalized elderly subjects. It also reports that the anti-inflammatory cytokine TGF-β1 was higher in subjects with B. breve, so the claim overgeneralizes the negative correlations to anti-inflammatory cytokines. The Discussion describes modulation as a possible way to influence inflammatory responses in the elderly, not an established way to reduce them in humans generally. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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References 28 · Cited by 148
- Authors
- Ouwehand, A. C., Bergsma, N., Parhiala, R., Lahtinen, S., Gueimonde, M., Finne-Soveri, H., Strandberg, T., Pitkälä, K., & Salminen, S.
- Affiliations
- University of Turku (FI)
- Helsinki University Hospital (FI)
- Corresponding author
- Salminen, Seppo
- Venue
- FEMS Immunology & Medical Microbiology
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2008-06
- Volume
- 53
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 18-25
- ISSN
- 0928-8244 (ISSN-L)
- 1574-695X
- OpenAlex
- W2048887584
- Cited by
- 148
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 14.96
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- FEMS Immunology & Medical Microbiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DIGITAL.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Academy of Finland (48613)
- Finnish Graduate School on Applied Bioscience: Bioengineering, Food and Nutrition, Environment
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Probiotics and Fermented Foods
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Infant Nutrition and Health
- Keywords
- Bifidobacterium, gut microbiota, probiotics, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB-12, older adults, institutionalized elderly, immune function, cytokines, IL-10, TNF-α, TGF-β1, fecal microbiota, Bifidobacterium animalis, Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium adolescentis, Bifidobacterium bifidum, anti-inflammatory response
- MeSH terms
- Aged, 80 and over, Bifidobacterium, DNA, Bacterial, Double-Blind Method, Feces, Female, Humans, Male, Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha, Colony Count, Microbial, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Transforming Growth Factor beta, Interleukin-10, Statistics, Nonparametric, Probiotics, Gastrointestinal Tract
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