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Probiotics modulate the gut microbiota composition and immune responses in patients with atopic dermatitis: a pilot study

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A Correction to this article was published on 15 October 2021

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Abstract

Purpose

Many studies have investigated the association between intestinal barrier impairment and the onset of atopic dermatitis (AD). The gut microbiota is essential to maintain physiological homeostasis and immune regulation of host. Therefore, the objectives were to determine the effects of probiotics on the clinical symptoms, immune responses, and gut microbiota in AD patients.

Methods

109 patients were randomly divided into 4 groups, including placebo group, oligosaccharides group, Bifidobacterium bifidum CCFM16 group, and Lactobacillus plantarum CCFM8610 group. At the end of the experiment, serological indicators, SCORAD, and DLQI indices were assessed. V3–V4 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene was sequenced to evaluate changes in the gut microbiota. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size was used to uncover microbial biomarkers and PICRUSt (Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States) was used to predict gene family abundances based on 16S information.

Results

The results demonstrated that CCFM8610 significantly decreased the SCORAD index, and increased the serum IL-10 levels. Supplement with CCFM8610 and CCFM16 significantly influenced the alpha diversity, increased the proportion of Bacteroidetes, and reduced the F/B ratio. CCFM8610 treatment downregulated the functional genes of gut microbiota involving Staphylococcus aureus infection and upregulated the steroid hormone biosynthesis.

Conclusion

The results indicated a positive correlation between decreased SCORAD index and CCFM8610 treatment, and that CCFM8610 regulated the immune responses in AD patients. CCFM8610 treatment influences the gut microbiota composition and functional changes. In conclusion, L. plantarum CCFM8610 exerts the strain-specific amelioration effects on patients with AD.

Trial registration: ChiCTR1800015330 (Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier).

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Tinghu People’s hospital, Yancheng, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control in Jiangsu Province.

Funding

This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 31871774, 31771953, and 31820103010), the National First-class Discipline Program of Food Science and Technology (JUFSTR20180102), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (JUSRP51903B),and Collaborative Innovation Center of Food Safety and Quality Control in Jiangsu Province.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu, China

    Zhifeng Fang, Wenwei Lu, Jianxian Zhao, Hao Zhang & Wei Chen

  2. School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu, China

    Zhifeng Fang, Wenwei Lu, Jianxian Zhao, Hao Zhang & Wei Chen

  3. National Engineering Research Center for Functional Food, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu, China

    Wenwei Lu, Hao Zhang & Wei Chen

  4. Wuxi Translational Medicine Research Center and Jiangsu Translational Medicine Research Institute Wuxi Branch, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu, China

    Hao Zhang

  5. (Yangzhou) Institute of Food Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Yangzhou, 225004, China

    Wenwei Lu, Jianxian Zhao & Hao Zhang

  6. Beijing Innovation Centre of Food Nutrition and Human Health, Beijing Technology and Business University (BTBU), Beijing, 100048, China

    Wei Chen

  7. The Tinghu People’s Hospital, Yancheng, 224002, Jiangsu, China

    Long Qian & Qun Wang

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  1. Zhifeng Fang
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  7. Wei Chen
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Correspondence to Wenwei Lu or Wei Chen.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical statement

The study was approved by the medical ethics committee of the Tinghu People’s Hospital, Yancheng (Ethical No. ET2017016), Jiangsu province, China.

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Fang, Z., Lu, W., Zhao, J. et al. Probiotics modulate the gut microbiota composition and immune responses in patients with atopic dermatitis: a pilot study. Eur J Nutr 59, 2119–2130 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-019-02061-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-019-02061-x

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