Mechanisms involved in the intestinal interaction between host and bifidobacteria

Abstract

Bifidobacteria constitute up to 3% of the total human intestinal microbiota and represent one of the most important health-promoting bacterial groups of the gut microbial ecosystem. Recently, the interaction between Bifidobacterium and the human plasminogen system has been reported, raising the question of the role of this system in the bifidobacterial ecology in the human gastrointestinal tract. Here we investigate the effect of plasminogen on the adhesion of Bifidobacterium lactis BI07 to enterocyte-like Caco-2 cells. According to our experimental data, in the presence of human plasminogen the adhesion of B. lactis BI07 to Caco-2 cells significantly increases. Therefore, we can hypothesize a plasminogen-mediated early adhesion step of B. lactis BI07 to Caco-2 cells. Our findings open the way for further investigations to thoroughly assess the role of plasminogen in the interaction between bifidobacteria and host enterocytes. © 2008 Informa UK Ltd.