TITLE:
Influence of the Multispecies Probiotic Ecologic® BARRIER on Parameters of Intestinal Barrier Function
AUTHORS:
Saskia Van Hemert, Geline Ormel
KEYWORDS:
Probiotics, Ecologic® BARRIER, Intestinal Barrier Function
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.5 No.18,
September
22,
2014
ABSTRACT: The intestinal epithelium is a single cell layer that forms the largest and most important barrier against the external environment. A proper functioning of the intestinal barrier is essential for maintaining optimal health. A disrupted intestinal barrier function has been associated with the development of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Probiotics are live microorganisms that confer a health benefit to the host and have been associated with prevention of diseases such as antibiotic-associated diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. Probiotics can improve and restore the intestinal barrier function in diverse ways and effects are thought to be species- and even strain-specific. With this research the influence of probiotic bacteria in Ecologic? BARRIER on parameters of intestinal barrier function was investigated. The results show that each bacterial strain in Ecologic?BARRIER is in vitro capable to improve the epithelial barrier in diverse ways.