Anti-inflammatory and Anti-atherogenic Effects of Lactobacillus plantarum in Hypercholesterolemic Mice

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases are the most prevalent cause of human morbidity and mortality worldwide and atherosclerosis is the main underlying cause of it. Probiotics comprise live microorganisms which have been shown to have beneficial effects on the host when administered in the diet. Since probiotics are known to have immunomodulatory effects on the host immune system, these may directly (or indirectly) influence the inflammatory process by which atherosclerotic plaques grow. In this study, Lactobacilli plantarum is used as the probiotic of choice and its effects on T cell mediated immunity and plasma lipid profile as well as atherosclerotic plaque development are studied on an experimental animal model of the disease, the ApoE(-/- )mouse.