Probiotic Mechanism of Lactobacillus gasseri OLL2716 Strain against Helicobacter pylori

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori infection is a major risk factor for several gastroduodenal diseases, including gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, and distal gastric cancer (4, 6, 9). Although it is unknown when and how the human population became infected with H. pylori in developed countries, Weyermann et al. reported that H. pylori is almost always acquired in early childhood (11). Probiotics intended for the control of H. pylori as well as for antibacterial chemotherapy against H. pylori have attracted attention (10). Current systematic reviews describe probiotics as an adjunct to first-line triple therapy and not as antibacterial chemotherapy. Whether adjunctive therapy enhances eradication rates remains controversial, but there is more evidence supporting the role of probiotics in reducing the frequency of side effects caused by the triple-therapy regimen (7). Lactobacillus gasseri OLL2716 proved effective in both suppressing H. pylori colonization of the stomach and reducing gastric mucosal inflammation (8). We reported that an L. gasseri OLL2716 strain contained in a yogurt drink can colonize the gastric mucus layer in infected patients (3). However, the mechanism by which that L. gasseri OLL2716 strain controlled H. pylori strains was unknown.