Influence of feeding fermented milk and non-fermented milk containing Lactobacillus casei on immune response in mice

Abstract

he effect of feeding Lactobacillus casei in the form of fermented and non-fermented milk on non-specific as well as humoral immune response in mice was investigated. Feeding of L. casei fermented milk (LcF), its cell free supernatant (LcS), and L. casei non-fermented milk (LcNF) to mice for period of two, five and eight days resulted in increased activity of β-galactosidase and β-glucuronidase in peritoneal macrophages in comparison to skim milk (control). The phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages also increased significantly (p<0.01) in mice fed on LcF, LcS and LcNF compared to skim milk-fed mice. The maximum rise in β-galactosidase, β-glucuronidase and phagocytic activity was on day 5 post-feeding. In challenge studies with Shigella dysenteriae, it was observed that colonization of S. dysenteriae in the intestine, liver and spleen was significantly less in mice fed on LcNF and LcF in …