Oral administration of Lactobacillus casei ATCC393 promotes angiogenesis by enhancing neutrophil activity in a murine hind-limb ischemia model

Abstract

Angiogenesis is a highly regulated biological event and requires the participation of neutrophils, which are innate immune cells, to initiate the systematic responses. Some strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can be used for probiotics that provide functional modifications in our immune systems. Here, we show that oral administration of Lactobacillus casei ATCC393 promoted inflammatory angiogenesis accompanied by enhanced neutrophil activity. Heat-killed L. casei (HK-LC) administration improved angiogenesis in a murine hind-limb ischemia (HLI) model. The recruitment and activity of neutrophils were enhanced by HK-LC administration under the HLI conditions. Our results provide novel evidence of an immunological contribution of LAB uptake in the prevention of or recovery from cardiovascular diseases.