Studies have demonstrated that the gut microbiota of people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is different from that of healthy individuals and could influence inflammation and oxidative stress. In this study, we sought to evaluate the effects of supplementation with a mixture of probiotics on cytokine plasma levels, inflammatory biomarkers, oxidative/nitrosative stress profile, and Disease Activity Score-28 in people with RA.
A randomized and double-blind placebo-controlled study was carried out with 42 participants with RA divided into two groups-the probiotic group (n = 21), who over 60 d took a daily ingestion of probiotics in a sachet containing 109 CFU/g each of five freeze-dried strains: Lactobacillus acidophilus La-14, Lactobacillus casei Lc-11, Lactococcus lactis Ll-23, Bifidobacterium lactis Bl-04 and B. bifidum Bb-06; and the placebo group (n = 21) who over 60 d took a daily ingestion of maltodextrin.
The probiotic group showed a significant reduction in white blood cell count (P = 0.012) and tumor necrosis factor-α (P = 0.004) and interleukin 6 plasma levels (P = 0.039). However, no differences were observed in interleukin-10, adiponectin, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, ferritin, or Disease Activity Score-28 between the two groups. Regarding oxidative/nitrosative stress biomarkers, the probiotic group showed lower nitric oxide metabolites (P = 0.004) and higher sulfhydryl group (P = 0.028) and total radical-trapping antioxidant parameters (P = 0.019) than the placebo group. However, lipid hydroperoxide and protein carbonyl did not differ between groups (P > 0.05).
The mixture of probiotics reduced inflammatory biomarkers and improved the oxidative/nitrosative profile in people with RA.