“Probiotics are effective in relieving flu symptoms”

Ulsan University College of Medicine Seoul Asan Medical Center Research Team
Phenomenon of improving lung immunity and alleviating lung damage
First confirmation of lung-related interaction
Discovering a new mechanism that goes beyond supporting intestinal health

Research results have shown that probiotics, microorganisms that are beneficial to the human body, help relieve symptoms of influenza virus infection.

The research team of Professor Mina Kwon and Dr. Seungil Kim of the Department of Convergence Medicine and Microbiology at Asan Medical Center, Ulsan College of Medicine, discovered human-derived probiotics and orally administered them to mice, confirming that antiviral substances increased and lung immunity was improved. They also demonstrated that the fatty acids in probiotics can alleviate lung damage caused by influenza virus infection.

The researchers observed a mouse model infected with the influenza virus divided into two groups depending on whether or not probiotics were injected. As a result, it was found that in mice that consumed probiotics, lung damage caused by infection was alleviated and type 1 interferon, an antiviral substance, increased.

Type 1 interferon is a type of immunomodulatory substance (cytokine) that helps defend the immune system when a virus invades the body. The type 1 interferon produced was found to induce the production of various substances that can play an antiviral role, such as interferon-stimulating genes.

In contrast, mice that did not consume probiotics produced relatively less antiviral substances and appeared vulnerable to influenza infection. In addition, in the case of mice with artificially deleted interferon receptors, it was confirmed that the antiviral effect was reduced because they did not receive signals from interferon activated by probiotics.

After observing the intestines and lungs of mice, it was confirmed that this effect was due to the production of a large amount of fatty acid (palmitic acid) derived from probiotics.

The researchers revealed that they were able to identify the theory of the connecting axis connecting the intestines and lungs by finding that this fatty acid promotes the production of antiviral substances in the lungs.

So far, probiotics have been mainly released as intestinal health supplements. The specific mechanism for interaction with the lung has not been revealed.

Through this study, the function of fatty acids in probiotics to regulate lung immunity is expected to be effective in alleviating symptoms in respiratory virus infections, including coronavirus and influenza. Professor Mina Kwon said, “I hope that the results of this study will be helpful in future research on the human defense immune system and alleviation of viral infections using microbiome such as probiotics.”