Data published in Frontiers in Immunology indicated that the combination of Limosilactobacillus fermentum SX-0718*, Lacticaseibacillus casei SX-1107*, Bifidobacterium longum SX-1326, and B. animalis SX-0582 also upregulated the expression of Sirt 1 to protect neurons in the hippocampal region of the brain.
Additionally, the probiotic combination, which was isolated from the feces of seven centenarians of the Centenarian Village in Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, China, was associated with an increase in the expression of molecules that improve the integrity of the intestinal barrier and reduce leaky gut.
“These changes underlie improved spatial memory, motor function and exploratory behavior of aging mice,” wrote scientists from the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University and the Institute of Translational Medicine at Nanchang University.
“Our research provides the basis for the probiotic combination to become a dietary supplement for anti-aging.”
“Not bad for a probiotic-based intervention”
Commenting independently on the study, Mark Miller, PhD, Principal at Kaiviti Consulting, LLC, told NutraIngredients-USA: “This is a solid and insightful preclinical research study that takes the premise that the gut microbiome of centenarians possess elements that may drive anti-aging outcomes. Using the accelerated aging mouse model, SAMP-8, they demonstrated clear gut benefits but also an improvement in behavior aligned with a more youthful state.
“Mechanistically it appears that a cocktail of 4 probiotic species limited an aging-related gut dysbiosis, limited gut inflammation and improved the intestinal barrier function.
“The benefits were not limited to the gut, presumably via the gut-brain neural axis neural inflammation was suppressed orchestrated via gene switches, along with substantive improvements in mobility, spatial memory and exploratory behavior.
“To put this mouse behavior in human terms - despite their age they could find their car keys, drive successfully to explore new shops and then return safely. Not bad for a probiotic-based intervention.”
Study details
The new study used the four strain Centenarian-derived probiotic combination in both in vitro and in vivo (mouse) studies. The data from the in vitro studies showed that all four strains exhibited good acid resistance, bile salt resistance, and antibacterial properties.
Results from the animal studies showed that the SAMP8 mice consuming the probiotics displayed improvements in impaired spatial memory, motor dysfunction, and decreased exploratory behavior.
The researchers also found changes in the gut microbiota of the probiotic-fed animals, with reductions in the relative abundance of Alistipes and Prevotella.
Mechanistically, the researchers found that probiotics were associated with inhibition of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB)-induced neuroinflammation and TLR4/NFκB-induced intestinal inflammation.
“Studies have shown that intestinal barrier dysfunction, and thus chronic inflammation from the intestine, plays an important role in aging,” they added. “The mucosal epithelial cells in the colon of [control] aging mice were shed and a small amount of intestinal gland structure was destroyed. The probiotic combination counteracted these changes.”
Centenarian microbiota
The study adds to a small body of science exploring how the microbiota and microbiome of long-lived humans may hold some key to healthy aging and longevity.
As reported earlier this year by NutraIngredients-USA, a distinct set of gut microbes in Centenarians may contribute to longevity by producing unique bile acids that inhibit the growth of gut pathogens.
Scientists from Japan reported that Odoribacteraceae, a gram-negative family of bacteria found in the feces of centenarians, may produce a specific bile acid (BA) called isoallo-lithocholic acid (isoalloLCA), which exerts potent antimicrobial effects against gram-positive (but not gram-negative) multidrug-resistant pathogens, such as Clostridioides difficile (formerly known as Clostridium difficile) and Enterococcus faecium.
[* Limosilactobacillus fermentum and Lacticaseibacillus casei were formerly known as Lactobacillus species. For more information on the taxonomic changes to the genus Lactobacillus, please click HERE.]
Source: Frontiers in Immunology
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.792746
“Evaluation of the Anti-Aging Effects of a Probiotic Combination Isolated From Centenarians in a SAMP8 Mouse Model”
Authors: X. Fang et al.