Immune Response to the Consumption of Lactobacillus GG and FOS in Patients With Recurrent Herpes Labialis
Condition: Herpes Labialis
MeSH terms: Herpes Simplex; Herpes Labialis
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Background: Herpes labialis is the result of the presence of Herplex Simplex Virus -1 (HSV-1)
      and is a common disease in the population. Because of its visibility it has a serious impact
      on social life and the feeling of well-being in people who suffer from this disease. Until
      now there is no effective treatment and no remedy for prevention of the virus outbreak.

      Prebiotics and probiotics have both been shown to have a favorable and supportive effect on
      the immune system in different health conditions such as influenza, atopic dermatitis and
      diarrhea. So far no study has addressed the effect of the consumption of pre- and/or
      probiotics in a population with recurrent herpes labialis.

      Aim of the study: The present study investigated the effect of pre- or probiotics or a
      combination of the two on the recurrence of herpes labialis lesions as well as on the immune
      system in general.

      Design: 78 Patients were eligible to participate in the study and after a run-in period of
      two weeks consuming a placebo minidrink were randomized to one of the four experimental
      groups, these were: placebo minidrink (n=), prebiotic (fructooligosaccharides) minidrink
      (n=), probiotic (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG or LGG) minidrink (n=) or a minidrink containing
      a combination of a pre- and probiotic. These minidrinks were consumed for another 5 weeks. At
      day 33 of the study the lip most prone to the development of a lesion was stimulated with UVB
      in order to provoke a lesion. During the entire study period subjects were checked for any
      clinical signs of a lesion, completed a self-assessment regarding the lesion and a quality of
      life questionnaire at baseline (day 14) and the end of the study (day 49). In addition, a
      blood sample was collected at baseline and at the end of the study to be analyzed for general
      and HSV-specific antibodies, intracellular cytokine concentrations and parameters of the
      innate immune response such as natural killer cell activity and phagocytosis.
    

Detailed description: 
      The present study showed that the daily consumption of a minidrink containing either only
      Lactobacillus rhamnosus or a combination of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and
      fructooligosaccharides significantly decreased both the occurrence and the incidence of
      Herpes labialis lesions after stimulation with UVR in a population with recurrent Herpes
      labialis. No difference in the function of either CD8+ T lymphocytes or natural killer cells
      was found, nevertheless a trend, that did not reach statistical significance, was observed
      for some of the immunological analyses pointing out towards an immunemodulating effect of
      probiotic or pre- and probiotic combination minidrink on the adaptive immune system. The end
      of study results of immune analyses were slightly improved compared to the baseline values in
      individuals using the probiotics or the pre- and probiotics combination minidrink, however
      the differences between groups did not reach the significance level. Phagocytosis and killing
      were clearly and statistically different in individuals that used either placebo or
      probiotics or pre- and probiotics minidrinks. Therefore, the probiotics and the pre- and
      probiotics minidrinks have an important effect on innate immunity, resulting in a significant
      improvement of both phagocytosis and killing. No effect was found on the quality of life of
      subjects. No special or unusual features of the safety evaluations were found. No serious
      adverse events were reported during the study.
    

Intervention name(s): Probiotics; Prebiotics; Prebiotics and Probiotics; Placebo
Intervention type(s): Dietary Supplement; Dietary Supplement; Dietary Supplement; Dietary Supplement
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double (Participant, Investigator)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: lactobacillus; Herpes Labialis; immune response