Characterization of L. reuteri NCIMB 701359 Probiotic Features for Potential Use as a Colorectal Cancer Biotherapeutic by Identifying Fatty Acid Profile and Anti-Proliferative Action against Colorectal Cancer Cells

Colorectal cancer is considered a leading cause of cancer mortality, the third most common cancer in men but the second in women, worldwide, with a high 5 year recurrence rates for patients. Since developments in therapeutic strategies still have limitations in improving the survival rate of colorectal cancer patients, CRC is considered one of these types of cancers for which the mortality regressions comes significantly as a results of earlier detection and prevention making chemoprevention an attractive strategy for this disease. Contrary to common chemo-preventive agents which long administration brings unknown risk factors and possible toxicity, probiotics have been shown more safety, reduced cancer recurrence andtoxicity in CRC patients. Some of these probiotic formulations contained lactic acid bacteria (LAB) of which many were used in biopharmaceutical supplements for CRC patients. As in the different stages of carcinogenesis, apoptosis and cell proliferation come as key factors, studies showed that many Lactobacilli extracts induced cell death, cell differentiation and apoptosis in cancer cells, in some cases, by the production of anti-carcinogenic products such as short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).

In fact, L. acidophilus and L. rhamnosus have showed a potential effect in colon cancer suppression, while for some speciessuch as L. reuteri, only recently shown to possess probiotic efficacy, are lessinvestigated. Most of the studies on L. reuteri bacteria focused on their ability to affect the production in intestinal environment, while very few showed production of SCFAs.