Probiotics shown to mitigate effects of toxic fire-retardant chemicals

L. reuteri, or LR, typically resides in the digestive tract, where it generates lactic acid. Additionally, it can be found in beans, artichokes, and sweet potatoes, and in fermented foods such as sourdough bread, as well as miso, kimchi, and sauerkraut. It is frequently included in yogurts and other dairy products and, therefore, is readily accessible.

The researchers exposed mouse mothers to a PBDE mixture or a control (corn oil) during pregnancy and breast-feeding. This was done over a ten-week period to model the kind of exposures humans face. Some of the mice were supplemented with LR. The researchers then examined the offspring for developmental benchmarks during the postnatal period and for behavior during adulthood.

They found male offspring exposed to PBDEs had a delay in body weight gain. Further, their incisor eruption was abnormally timed.

"Maternal probiotic therapy with LR corrected most of the behavioral and metabolic abnormalities caused by PBDE exposure," Kozlova said. "We gave offspring the probiotics through the mother, which is a very effective way to mitigate the effects of PBDEs with low risk to the developing offspring."

"Changes in gut bacteria triggered by probiotics may contribute to these improvements," Curras-Collazo said. "By better understanding how probiotics and environmental toxins interact, we can use these therapies as early interventions to mitigate long-term health problems caused by pollutant transfer from the mother.

"Although our findings must be replicated, they suggest that we can act to safeguard the health of our children against toxic chemicals for which there are no strategies for removal from our bodies," she added. "Perhaps, through probiotics in our diet, we can put our own gut microbiota to work to mitigate toxicant effects and protect our health."

Curras-Collazo, Kozlova, and Denys were joined in the study by other UCR investigators: Rui Liu, Anthony E. Bishay, Elyza A. Do, Varadh Piamthai, Yash V. Korde, Crystal N. Luna, Artha A. Lam, and Dr. Ansel Hsiao.

The study was supported by UC Riverside, UC-Hispanic Serving Institutions Doctoral Diversity Initiative, a Danone North America Gut Microbiome, Yogurt and Probiotics Fellowship Grant, and the National Institutes of Health. The content of this article does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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University of California - Riverside

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