JORGE GABRIEL GANOPOLSKY¹, CHRISTOPHER J. MARTONI¹, SATYA PRAKASH^1,2, MITCHELL LAWRENCE JONES^1,2*
*Corresponding author
1. Micropharma Limited, 4200 Saint-Laurent Boulevard, Unit 409, Montreal, Quebec, H2W 2R2, Canada.
2. Faculty of Medicine McGill University, Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, 3775 University Street, Montreal,Quebec, H3A2B4, Canada.

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease remains the world’s main cause of mortality and is linked to high blood cholesterol and chronic low grade inflammation. The use of probiotics for cholesterol lowering has been extensively studied and is considered a prospective option to prevent cardiovascular disease. We review the clinical safety and efficacy in cholesterol lowering with BSH-active probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri NCIMB 30242, including two randomized clinical studies showing significant reductions of LDL-C of 8.92% (P=0.016) in yogurt and 11.64% (P=0.001) in capsules. Other lipids and markers of inflammation were also significantly reduced. Further, we also provide mechanistic insights as well as clinically demonstrated enzymatic activity of the selected microorganism. Finally, we describe the potential of BSH-active probiotics in other applications.

INTRODUCTION

Cardiovascular disease is considered the principal global cause of morbidity and mortality by the World Health Organization, and therefore became a major scientific focus in both academic and industrial sectors. Atherosclerosis, an inflammatory disorder, is recognized as the essential cause of cardiovascular disease that accounts for approximately one-third of all deaths worldwide. Major advances in the understanding of atherosclerosis were made over the last decade and these discoveries provide insightful approaches that may help in the prevention of cardiovascular problems. Among the most important risk factors for atherosclerosis are high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and cigarette smoking (1).
Cholesterol fulfills multiple functions in the body, forming part of cell membranes, hormones, and detergents that solubilize consumed fats. Ingested or synthetized by the organism, cholesterol transits the digestive and vascular systems and is transported through arteries and veins to its metabolic destinations in lipoproteins (HDL-C, LDL-C and VLDL-C). High levels of LDL-C (“the bad cholesterol”) have been linked to cardiovascular ...