Anti-Allergic Effect of Para-Probiotics from Non-Viable Acetic Acid Bacteria in Ovalbumin-Sensitized Mice

Abstract

Para-probiotics are ghost probiotics and consist of non-viable microbial cells. Here, a genus of acetic acid bacteria (AAB) was lyophilized to produce a para-probiotic preparation of non-viable (NV) AAB. The NV-AAB orally administered for 49 days ameliorated antigen-induced sneezing and plasma antigen-specific IgE in an ovalbumin-sensitized allergic mouse model. Our findings indicated that NV-AAB, as a para-probiotic functional food, exhibits an anti-allergic effect. The anti-allergic mechanism of NV-AAB was atypical because of the near-absence of an effect on Th1 and Th2 balance in splenocytes. NV-AAB will be a unique para-probiotic food material with an anti-allergic activity.