L. acidophilus NCFM~(R): functional properties of a unique probiotic strain

摘要

Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM~(R) is a commercially available strain that has been used in the United States in milk and yogurt products since the mid-1970's, dietary supplements since the mid-1980's and has been the target of in vitro and in vivoscientific research for decades. Some important attributes of this strain include its ability to survive transit through human gastrointestinal tract, produce antimicrobial compounds and its sensitivity to antibiotics used in human therapy. Its taxonomicdesignation as a type A1 L. acidophilus has been confirmed with 16S rDNA sequencing and reaction with species-specific probes. It has been shown to improve symptoms associated with small bowel bacterial overgrowth in chronic kidney failure patients andcommunity acquired diarrhea. Results from studies on the effect of NCFM~(R) on improvement of symptoms associated with lactose maldigestion have been mixed, similar to reports for other L. acidophilus strains. NCFM~(R) was also shown to decrease in faecal levels of enzymes associated with conversion of procarcinogens to carcinogens in both humans and rats. In mutagenized rats, NCFM~(R) was found to significantly decrease in a dose dependent manner the occurrence of aberrant crypts in the colon. NCFM~(R)is being used for an ongoing comprehensive chromosomal sequencing and functional genomics project. The safety of NCFM~(R) is established based on its history of safe use and its testing in an immunodeficient mouse model system. Neither neonatal nor adult mice suffered any mortality when colonized with high levels of NCFM~(R) (10~(6-7)/gram feces in neonates and 10~(8-10)/gram feces in adults). Flistory of safe use of NCFM~(R) can be surmised from its consumption in foods and dietary supplements in theUnited States and other countries worldwide. NCFM~(R) consumption has been estimated to be 2.5 billion 8 oz servings of fluid milk, 13 billion 100 g servings of yogurt and 1 billion doses of dietary supplement, with no adverse incident reported. NCFM~(R)is a scientifically well-documented L. acidophilus strain available for commercial use as a probiotic.