The Effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 on Cytokines/Chekmokines and Prostaglandins in Human Amnion Cells

• Main Author: Koscik, Rebecca
• Other Authors: Challis, John R. G.
• Language: en_ca
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: pregnancy; preterm birth; cytokines; prostaglandins; probiotics; amnion; 0719; 0380
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/33750

The incidence of preterm labor has risen over recent decades and preventative antibiotic treatment is ineffective. Associated with a 40% increased risk of preterm birth, bacterial vaginosis is characterized by a decrease in lactobacilli and increase in pathogenic bacteria in the vaginal flora. Ascent of bacterial products to the intrauterine environment stimulates cytokine and prostaglandin secretion from invading immune cells and gestational tissues. Probiotic lactobacilli modulate the immune responses in mouse macrophages and human placental trophoblast cells. The focus of this thesis was to determine the influence of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 (GR-1) on cytokines and prostaglandins which are part of the activated pathway in infection and/or inflammation mediated preterm labour. GR-1 increased amnion chemokine and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine release. GR-1 elevated prostaglandin E2 release that was paralleled by an increase in mPGES2 expression. It is possible that t that GR-1 may enhance the host defense barriers of the amnion to pathogenic bacteria.