Lactobacillus plantarum CCFM8610 Alleviates Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Prevents Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Pilot Clinical Trial
Yang Liu, Xinjie Yu, Leilei Yu, Fengwei Tian, Jianxin Zhao, Hao Zhang, Long Qian, Qun Wang, Zhengqing Xue, Qixiao Zhai, Wei Chen
Abstract
Irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D) is chronic intestinal dysfunction with diarrhea and other complicated clinical symptoms, and it has a great impact on the daily life and mental state of patients. Some studies have reported that ingestion of probiotics can significantly alleviate a variety of intestinal diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the IBS-D-alleviating effects of a probiotic strain, Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) CCFM8610, with multiple health-promoting effects. The study was a 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot clinical trial. Seventy-five patients were randomly assigned to receive the placebo, oligosaccharides, or L. plantarum CCFM8610 (1 × 1010 colony-forming units (CFU) per day), with a 2-week run-in period, an 8-week intervention period, and a 2-week follow-up observation period. The patients’ clinical symptoms and quality of life were examined by the IBS symptom severity scale (IBS-SSS) and the IBS quality of life scale (IBS-QOL). Changes in gut microbiota composition and diversity were measured at the end of the intervention period. The oral administration of L. plantarum CCFM8610 significantly decreased the IBS-SSS and IBS-QOL scores, reduced IBS-D symptom severity, recovered gut microbiota diversity, decreased the relative abundance of bloating-related genus Methanobrevibacter, and increased the relative abundance of butyric acid-producing genera, including Anaerostipes, Anaerotruncus, Bifidobacterium, Butyricimonas, and Odoribacter. These findings suggest that ingestion of L. plantarum CCFM8610 can significantly alleviate clinical symptoms and gut microbiota dysbiosis in IBS-D patients. The IBS-D-alleviating effect of L. plantarum CCFM8610 may be related to the increase in the relative abundance of butyric acid-producing genera in the intestine.