LactoSpore rodent study suggests the probiotic strain may have anti-diarrheal properties
There’s been a slew of published studies Sabinsa conducted on LactoSpore released this year. One study published in Nutrition Journal supported the probiotic ingredient’s safety for use to manage diarrhea predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Another study that was published this year, in the International Journal of Pharma and Bio Sciences, evaluated the strain’s anti-diarrheal activity and its effect on gastrointestinal motility in Wistar Rats. “B. coagulans MTCC 5856 elicited anti-diarrheal activity and inhibited the gastrointestinal motility in fasted rats,” the report said.
Study design
Male Wistar rats were divided into six groups with six rats in each (a total of 36 rat subjects), weighing between 150 to 200 grams at the start of the study, before they were fasted for 18 hours and then assigned to their groups for castor oil-induced diarrhea.
Three dosages of MTCC 5856 were dissolved in 100 ml of sterile water: 40, 80, and 160 x 106 cfu/ml administered orally to the corresponding groups of animals. The remaining three groups consisted of a normal control (no fasting, no treatment, and no castor oil-induced diarrhea), positive control (with loperamide, 1 mg/kg), and a negative control (maltodextrin).
Animals were observed for defecation at the fourth, eighth and 12th hour post castor oil consumption. Weights of the fecal material were measured and water consumption over 12 hour periods also quantified.
Observations and conclusions
Researchers noted that at a dose of 160 x 106 cfu/kg body weight, MTCC 5856 showed significant decrease in fecal weight similar with the loperamide treated group. “Percentage inhibition for loperamide treated group was 36% while that of the highest dose of B. coagulans MTCC 5856 was 33%,” the researchers wrote.
“In light of these findings, it can be concluded that B. coagulans MTC 5856 was efficacious in the treatment of diarrhea at a dose of 160 million cfu/kg body weight,” they added. But they added that the mechanism of action at the molecular level needs further research.
Additionally, an analysis of how the probiotics affect gastrointestinal motility revealed that “the highest dose of B. coagulans MTCC 5856 (160 x 106 cfu/kg body weight) exhibited almost similar effects on the GI motility to that of a standard drug, atropine sulphate,” they added, though there were no statistically significant differences when compared to the normal control.
“No questions” from FDA for the ingredient
“The body of science on the safety and efficacy of LactoSpore continues to grow,” said Shaheen Majeed, Sabinsa Marketing Director, in a press release.
“With the recent “no questions” letter from the US FDA on LactoSpore’s GRAS status, and additional published studies, the demand for LactoSpore continues to surge ahead. The clinical benefits on Sabinsa’s LactoSpore is strain specific, and therefore one of kind to Sabinsa and to our customers.”
Source: International Journal of Pharma and Bio Sciences
Volume 7, Issue 1, Pages 311-316
“Evaluation of Anti-Diarrhoeal Activity of Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856 and its Effect on Gastrointestinal Motility in Wistar Rats”
Authors: M. Majeed, et al.
