Spore-forming lactic acid bacterium as a probiotic against global warming

January 26, 2024

Elucidation of part of the causal structure in which the regulation of intestinal microbiota is related to cold sensitivity

A joint research group of RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, RIKEN CSRS, Kitasato University, and Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation has shown that oral ingestion of a thermostable spore-forming lactic acid bacterium disturbs growth inhibition in animal models under heat stress conditions, and they also revealed a part of its action mechanism.

As global warming causes serious harm to life, methodologies to avoid heat stress are needed to protect human lives and to manage livestock farming. In this study, the team evaluated the functionality of Weizmannia coagulans SANK70258 (W. Coagulans), a spore-forming lactic acid bacterium probiotic, in a chicken breeding facility where heat conditions can be artificially managed. As a result, it was shown that administration of the probiotics disturbs occurrence of growth inhibition under heat stress. In addition, they classified the multi-omics data of the digestive system by machine learning and other methods , and successfully inferred structural equations and a causal structural model involved in growth under heat stress. This study shows that the control of the intestinal microbiota serves an important role in measures to maintain homeostasis in the organisms in the face of global warming, and that spore-forming probiotics is expected to be effective.

Original article

Journal of Functional Foods doi: 10.1016/j.jff.2024.106001

K. Ito, H. Miyamoto, M. Matsuura, C. Ishii, Y. Nakanishi, W. Suda, T. Satoh, F. Honda, A. Kurotani, N. Tsuji, T. Nakaguma, C. Shindo, T. Ito, R. Michibata, R. Yamada, Y. Takahashi, H. Kodama, J. Kikuchi, H. Ohno,

"A thermoprotective probiotic function by thermostable lactic acid bacteria and its causal structure".

Contact

Jun Kikuchi
Team Leader
Environmental Metabolic Analysis Research Team