L. Helveticus R0389: a Unique Lactic Bacteria with Great Health Potentials 

11/10/07 Lallemand Nutritional Food Ingredients, the functional food Division of Lallemand Inc., specialist in yeast and bacteria, announced the promising results of a collaboration with teams from Tucumán, Argentina and Moncton University, in Canada, on the well documented lactic acid bacteria strain L. helveticus R0389. A scientific paper, recently published on-line by BMC Immunology confirms the immunostimulating potential of milk fermented with the specific bacteria strain, and sheds some light on the mechanisms involved, such as an improved dietary calcium uptake in the gut.

In this study, conducted by Gabriel Vinderola, and Gabriela Perdigon, in partnership with Chantal Matar, when milk fermented with L. helveticus R0389 was administered to mice, the expression of Calcium channels in the duodenum was up-regulated, indicating an improved capacity for dietary calcium uptake. Calcineurin, a signal transduction enzyme under the control of calcium is also significantly up-regulated, resulting in increased production of the immunostimulating cytokines Interleukin-2 and TNF-α by T lymphocytes. By increasing calcineurin expression, the L. helveticus R0389 fermented milk is thus involved in the initiation of the innate immune response as well as certain aspects of the adaptive immune response.

The fermented milk administration also increased the number of mast cells, involved in both innate and adaptive immune response, in the small intestine. Goblet cells, which are responsible for the production of a protective mucus along the intestine, are also up-regulated. Altogether, these results indicate an improved state of mucosal surveillance in the gut, via both arms of the immune response. The authors conclude that “All these events improve the intestinal barrier and functioning, increasing host protection against infections”. These results are in line with previous findings showing the important immunomodulating potential of L. helveticus R0389 on both innate and acquired immune response, via the gut immune system (GALT) as well as systemic immunity.

Dr Thomas A. Tompkins, Biochemistry and Microbiology Research Director for Lallemand-Institut Rosell, explains: “The particularity of L. helveticus species lies in their proteolytic capacity.  This lactic acid bacteria, traditionally used in cheese-making, possesses a highly developed and active set of proteolytic enzymes, responsible for the release of a variety of biologically active peptides during milk fermentation.  We have identified not less than 62 possible genes encoding proteolytic enzymes for L. helveticus R0389 strain. The potential of the peptides generated by this unique strain of L. helveticus are numerous and they are certainly involved in the presently described immunomodulatory role of fermented milk.”

A very promising lactobacillus strain originally isolated by the late Dr Brochu from an Italian cheese culture in 1978, L.helveticus R0389 is characterized by its important proteolytic activity and the diversity of bioactive peptides released during milk fermentation process. Its health potentials, largely described in over 20 scientific publications over the last twenty years, are mostly linked to these specific peptides. To-date, its potential health benefits cover four major areas: the inhibition of potential pathogens, an anti-mutagenic and anti-tumorigenic activity, an anti-hypertensive activity, and an important immunomodulatory activity. To these, we can now add the potential to enhance dietary calcium uptake in the gut.