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Protective effects of a probiotic yoghurt in a murine model of breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 October 2025

Martín Nicolás Cerasuolo ,
Jean Guy LeBlanc Open the ORCID record for Jean Guy LeBlanc [Opens in a new window]  and
Alejandra de Moreno de LeBlanc Open the ORCID record for Alejandra de Moreno de LeBlanc [Opens in a new window]
Martín Nicolás Cerasuolo
Affiliation:
Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos (CERELA, CONICET-FML-FECIC) , Chacabuco 145, (T4000ILC) San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
Jean Guy LeBlanc*
Affiliation:
Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos (CERELA, CONICET-FML-FECIC) , Chacabuco 145, (T4000ILC) San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
Alejandra de Moreno de LeBlanc*
Affiliation:
Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos (CERELA, CONICET-FML-FECIC) , Chacabuco 145, (T4000ILC) San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
*
Corresponding authors: Alejandra de Moreno de LeBlanc; Email: demoreno@cerela.org.ar, Jean Guy LeBlanc; Email: leblanc@cerela.org.ar
Corresponding authors: Alejandra de Moreno de LeBlanc; Email: demoreno@cerela.org.ar, Jean Guy LeBlanc; Email: leblanc@cerela.org.ar
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Abstract

Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers worldwide. Although chemotherapy remains a prevalent treatment, it negatively affects patients’ quality of life. In this regard, probiotics emerge as possible adjuvants. The aim of this study was to evaluate two lactic acid bacteria (LAB) selected for their immunomodulatory properties, Streptococcus thermophilus CRL807 and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus CRL864, in a breast cancer model undergoing chemotherapy with capecitabine or 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). 4T1 breast cancer cells were injected into the upper mammary gland of adult female mice. After tumour reached an appropriate size, mice were separated into groups (n 10) receiving either individual LAB (100 µl of 9 ± 1 × 108 CFU/ml) or yoghurt (2 ± 1108 CFU/ml ad libitum) with or without chemotherapy. The results showed that administration of LAB or yoghurt resulted in a significant reduction in tumour size and weight (about 50%), modulating the immune response, with increases of IL-10 in mice with smaller tumours, and without affecting chemotherapy. Furthermore, consumption of LAB or yoghurt decreased the negative side effects associated with these treatments. Yoghurt showed the best results in preventing weight loss, with lower mortality (20 % v. 40 % for 5-FU treatment), maintaining intestinal histology and modulating plasma cytokines, with increases of IL-10. In conclusion, administration of this probiotic yoghurt was safe in cancer hosts undergoing chemotherapy, reducing some associated negative side effects without interfering with the primary cancer treatment. Furthermore, this yoghurt showed beneficial properties against the tumour, modulating the host’s immune response.

Keywords

YoghurtProbioticLactic acid bacteriaCancer chemotherapyBreast cancerMouse model

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 134 , Issue 12 , 28 December 2025 , pp. 979 - 990
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society

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Footnotes

Jean Guy LeBlanc and Alejandra de Moreno de LeBlanc participated equally in this work.

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