Lactobacillus acidophilus strain L-92, which has anti-allergy effects towards pollinosis and perennial allergic rhinitis, is also effective in the treatment of atopic dermatitis

Calpis Co., Ltd. (Head office: Shibuya Tokyo, President: Souhei Ishiwata) Functional Food and Drink Development Laboratory reported at the spring meeting of the Japanese Society of Allergology that daily consumption of milk fermented with Lactobacillus acidophilus, strain L-92 (L-92), leads to symptom relief of atopic dermatitis.
Calpis has been researching the health benefits of strain L-92 towards allergies since 1997. Through a series of studies, the effect of strain L-92 towards pollinosis and perennial allergic rhinitis has been demonstrated in human trials.
The present study was collaborative research with Dr. Shinpei Torii of Aichi-gakusen University, using atopic dermatitis infants as subjects to confirm the effect of strain L-92 towards allergy.
Symptom relief was observed in 90% of subjects, and scores for symptom, medication, and skin itching were significantly decreased. On analysis of the intestinal microflora, a significant increase in the number of the genus Lactobacillus and a significant decrease in the number of the genus Bacteroides was observed.

1.

Animal model studies: "Decrease in Ovalbumin Specific IgE of Mice Serum after Oral Uptake of Lactic Acid Bacteria"
Many types of fermented milk prepared with different single species of lactobacilli (including strain L-92) and bifidobacteria were orally administrated to BALB/c mice (ovalbumin-specific IgE-elevated mice). Fermented milk cultured with strain L-92 showed the most significant effect on decreasing the serum ovalbumin-specific IgE levels, compared with the control group.

2.

Animal cell experiments (Activation of Th1 cells)
Strain L-92 was added to spleen cells prepared from BALB/c mice. After incubation, an increase in IL-12 (interleukin), which induces Th1 cells, and IFN-γ (interferon released from Th1 cells) was observed, suggesting Th1 cells were activated. This suggests that strain L-92 has the ability to improve the status of severity of allergy, where immunological balance between Th1 and Th2 cell is inclined towards Th2-skewed conditions and IgE is produced in excess. L-92 is thought to improve allergic symptoms by activating Th1 cells through IL-12 production, thus improving the immunological balance.

3.

Study on pollinosis patients
"Effect of Milk Fermented with Lactobacillus acidophilus Strain L-92 on Symptoms of Japanese Cedar Pollen Allergy: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial"
A placebo-controlled, single-blind study was conducted to evaluate the effect of strain L-92 on the symptoms of Japanese cedar pollen allergy. 23 in-house volunteers took 100ml of milk fermented with strain L-92 or a placebo acidified milk, twice a day for 6 to 10 weeks during the 2002 and 2003 seasons of Japanese cedar pollination. A significant improvement in the ocular symptom-medication score and score of distress of life was observed in the active group.

4.

Study on perennial allergic rhinitis patients
"Clinical Effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus Strain L-92 on Perennial Allergic Rhinitis: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study"
49 patients with perennial allergic rhinitis were randomized into two groups and received either 100ml of milk fermented with strain L-92 or a placebo acidified milk, once a day for 8 weeks. The ocular symptom-medication score showed a tendency towards a decrease, and scores in swelling and color of nasal mucosa showed significant decreases in the group taking active samples.

5.

Animal cell experiments (Apoptosis of excess Th2 cells)
CD4-positive T cells from the spleen of transgenic mice with OVA-specific TCR and CD11c-positive dendric cells from the spleen of BALB/c mice were co-incubated. Addition of strain L-92 to this culture system induced apoptosis of primed T cells, suggesting strain L-92 inhibits the function of excess Th2 cells.