Effect of treatment with compound Lactobacillus acidophilus on complements and T lymphocyte subsets in patients with compensated liver cirrhosis

Abstract

AIM: To explore the effect of early oral compound Lactobacillus acidophilus on complements and T lymphocyte subsets in patients with compensated liver cirrhosis. METHODS: Sixty-six patients with compensated liver cirrhosis were randomly divided into either a control group or a treatment group. The control group received conventional symptomatic treatment, while the treatment group was treated with compound Lactobacillus acidophilus (1.0 g, three times per day) for 12 wk on the basis of conventional symptomatic treatment. The changes in serum complements and T lymphocyte subsets between before and after treatment were observed and compared between the two groups of patients. RESULTS: After treatment, the levels of complements C3 and C4 (0.97 g/L ± 0.16 g/L vs 0.85 g/L ± 0.24 g/L, 0.22 g/L ± 0.05 g/L vs 0.15 g/L ± 0.07 g/L, both P < 0.05) and the percentages of CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ T lymphocyte subsets (37.9% ± 6.5% vs 33.8% ± 8.6%, 1.6% ± 0.5% vs 1.3% ± 0.7%, both P < 0.05) were significantly increased in the treatment group. CONCLUSION: Oral compound Lactobacillus acidophilus can regulate intestinal flora imbalance and modulate immunity in patients with compensated liver cirrhosis. © 2013 Baishideng. All rights reserved.