Bifidobacterium adolescentis benefit

Bifidobacterium adolescentis Supplementation Ameliorates Parenteral Nutrition-Induced Liver Injury in Infant Rabbits.
Dig Dis Sci. 2010. Department of Clinical Nutrition, Xin Hua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Parenteral nutrition (PN)-induced liver injury is associated with gut atrophy, and probiotics have demonstrated the ability to stabilize the intestinal microecosystem and offer protection against bacterial translocation from the gut to the liver. Therefore, we hypothesized that enteral Bifidobacterium supplements could alleviate PN-associated liver injury. Three-week-old New Zealand rabbits were divided into three groups: control, PN, and PN + Bif group (PN plus enteral feeding 0.5 x 10(8) Bifidobacterium adolescentis per day). After 10 days, serum levels of liver enzyme and endotoxin were measured, and histology of liver and ileum were performed.  Enteral probiotic supplementation could reduce gut permeability, bacterial translocation and endotoxemia, and thus attenuate PN-associated gut and liver injuries in infant rabbits.

Effect of inulin on the human gut microbiota: stimulation of Bifidobacterium adolescentis and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii.
Br J Nutr. 2009; Ramirez-Farias C, Slezak K, Fuller Z, Duncan A. Microbial Ecology Group, Gut Health Division, Rowett Research Institute, Greenburn Road, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, UK.
Probiotics are food ingredients that improve health by modulating the colonic microbiota. The bifidogenic effect of the prebiotic inulin is well established; however, it remains unclear which species of Bifidobacterium are stimulated in vivo and whether bacterial groups other than lactic acid bacteria are affected by inulin consumption. Changes in the fecal microbiota composition were examined in twelve human volunteers after ingestion of inulin (10 g/d) for a 16-d period in comparison with a control period without any supplement intake. The prevalence of most bacterial groups examined did not change after inulin intake, although the low G+C % Gram-positive species Faecalibacterium prausnitzii exhibited a significant increase (10% for control period v. 14% during inulin intake). The composition of the genus Bifidobacterium was studied in four of the volunteers by clone library analysis. Between three and five Bifidobacterium spp. were found in each volunteer. Bifidobacterium adolescentis and Bifidobacterium longum were present in all volunteers, and Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum, Bifidobacterium animalis, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Bifidobacterium dentium were also detected. Real-time PCR was employed to quantify the four most prevalent Bifidobacterium spp., Bifidobacterium adolescentis, B. longum, B. pseudocatenulatum and B. bifidum, in ten volunteers carrying detectable levels of bifidobacteria. Bifidobacterium adolescentis showed the strongest response to inulin consumption.