Pro and Anti-inflammatory Cytokine Variations Arising from Bifidobacterium Occurrence in Diarrheal Infants

Abstract

The gut microbiota represents a sophisticated ecosystem of microorganisms that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract and play a crucial part in maintaining human health, among which Bifidobacterium is a vital member. This study aims to investigate the impact of Bifidobacterium incidence on different pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in infants suffering from diarrhea. 140 infants with diarrhea and 20 healthy infants below 2 years of age were enrolled in this study. For the  isolation of Bifidobacterium, fecal samples were cultivated on the selective media under anaerobic conditions. The levels of interleukins (IL-10, IL-4, and 1L-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF- α) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) were measured using the ELISA technique. IL-4, IL-6 and TNF- α were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in diarrheal infants, with medians of 17.549, 3.492, and 23.055 pg/ml, respectively, than in their counterpart healthy ones, 15.057, 2.557, and 1.945 pg/ml, respectively. According to the results, both of IL-10 and TNF-α significantly decreased in diarrheal infants harboring Bifidobacterium compared to those without Bifidobacterium (4.52 vs. 7.467; 9.87 vs. 30.5 pg/ml, respectively). It has been proven that Bifidobacterium enhances the immune system by decreasing TNF-α and IL-10 levels in infants with diarrhea,  making it a potentially powerful immunological booster.