Effects of L.casei CRL 431 on thymus in a mice obesity

Abstract

The thymus undergoes involution processes affecting its functionality caused by obesity and senescence.Aim: to study the effects of the L.casei CRL431 strain or their cells walls on thymus recovery in a model of obesity and senescence mice.Methods: Male Balb/cmice were divided into groups according to the model: A) Obesity:was subdivided according to diet/treatment: Normal Control (NC), NC+Probiotic (NC+P), Obese Control (OC) and OC+probiotic (O+P); B) Senescence: was subdivided according to treatment and age: NC and NC+P: 21,28,45,90 and 180 days(d).Body weight(BW) and thymus(T) of both models were taken. Samples were: large intestine (IG) for microbiota analysis (M), serum(S), small intestinal fluid (IF) and T for cytokine analysis. Cytokines determination in culture supernatant of T stimulated with the probiotic bacteria (B) or its cell wall(W)by ELISA. Lymphocyte from T were analyzed by flow cytometry.Results: OC and OC+P reached the peak of BW in the ninth week and O+P decreased BW in 10th week, in senescence weight gain was parallel to age; BW/T ratio increased in OC, NC28d and NC90d and decreased significantly in O+P. M showed probiotic administration managed to normalize microbiota in both experimental models.CD4+population decreased in OC, N+P45d and N+P90d respect to NC and increased in O+P; CD8+population increased in OC, O+P, N+P90d and N+P180d respect to NC. Cytokine analysis showed an increase of IL6, TNFα, IL-12 and decreased IL-10, IFNγ and IL-3 in OC and as in the age increased; both oral administration with B and W can improve cytokine values.L. casei CRL431 showed to have beneficial effects on the thymus functionality in obesity and senescence process with improvement of the status of the immunity.