Kiyoung Kim*, 1, Gyeonghweon Lee†, ‡, 1, Hien Dang Thanh*, Jong-Hwa Kim*, Maytiya Konkit*, Seokmin Yoon‡, Miri Park‡, Siyoung Yang‡, Eunsup Park§, Wonyong Kim*
* Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea
† Division of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
‡ Lotte R&D Center, Seoul 07594, Republic of Korea
§ Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea
1These authors contributed equally to this work.
Corresponding author : Wonyong Kim
ABSTRACT
We aimed to determine the effects of Lactobacillus strains against rotaviral infections. Rotaviruses are the major causative agent of acute gastroenteritis in infants and children worldwide. However, to date, no specific antiviral drugs for the treatment of rotavirus infection have been developed. We identified 263 Lactobacillus strains from 35 samples of the traditional Korean fermented vegetable food, kimchi. Among them, Lactobacillus plantarum LRCC5310, more specifically the exopolysaccharides produced by these cells, were shown to have an antiviral effect against human rotavirus Wa strain in vitro. In vivo, the oral administration of exopolysaccharides for 2 d before and 5 d after mouse infection with the murine rotavirus epidemic diarrhea of infant mice strain led to a decrease in the duration of diarrhea and viral shedding and prevented the destruction of enteric epithelium integrity in the infected mice. We demonstrated here that the exopolysaccharides extracted from L. plantarum LRCC5310 can be used for the effective control of rotavirus infection.
Key words : Lactobacillus plantarum; rotavirus; diarrhea; exopolysaccharide