Probiotics Battle for Healthy Liver

LONDON— An open-label study suggested probiotics restore white bloods cells ability to engulf pathogens in alcoholic cirrhosis (J Hepat. 2008) (DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2008.02.015). Twelve patients at The Institute of Hepatology with alcoholic cirrhosis received Lactobacillus casei Shirota three times daily for four weeks. The data was compared to 13 healthy controls and eight cirrhotic patients who did not receive probiotics. Baseline neutrophil phagocytic capacity in patients was significantly lower compared to healthy controls, but it normalized at the end of the study. Ex vivo endotoxin-stimulated levels of sTNFR1, sTNFR2 and IL10 were significantly lower at the end of the study (P<0.05). TLR2, 4, and 9 were overexpressed in patients and TLR4 expression normalized by the end of the study. The researchers concluded the data warrants larger, randomized, controlled and mechanistic studies.

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