Background: Breast cancer has become one of the most predominant health risks among women and its mass death rate has continued to escalate world over. New data indicate that breast cancer may be modification by lifestyle factors, especially diet. Lactobacillus and Lactococcus type of probiotics have been identified to cure or promote health by regulation of the immune mechanism. Such bacteria are frequently found in healthy breast tissue and they could possibly help prevent breast cancer. Combining with a well established probiotic, Bifidobacterium longum, Lactobacillus acidophilus has proved to have immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects, therefore, it should be a prospective probiotic strain to maintain breast health. Aim: was to assess the inflammatory effect of the probiotic supplement on selected breast cancer cell lines. Methods: This study examined the response of two distinct probiotic supplements on the immune-related responses within the cell line of breast cancer (AMJ-13 and MCF-7).The first probiotic (T1) consisted of Lactobacillus plantarum 299v, while the second (T2) was a bacterial cocktail comprising eight probiotic strains: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium breve, Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus acidophilus. Their immune responses were evaluated in terms of IL-22 (a pro-inflammatory cytokine) and IL-37 (an anti-inflammatory cytokine) levels measured so via ELISA assays at 48 and 72 hours. Results: The findings revealed that the T2 probiotic cocktail had strong effects on preventing IL-22 release in both MCF-7 and AMJ-13 cells after the two time points (p < 0.05). Instead, T1 played a significant proliferative role on increasing IL-22 level in AMJ 13 cell at 48 and 72 hours. Moreover, T1 had a great impact on IL-37 production at both timepoints whereas T2 regulated IL-37 secretion both in MCF-7 and in AMJ-13 cells. These results indicate that probiotic bacteria could work on immune responses through regulating the release of inflammatory cytokines, maybe by intervening in the inflammatory milieu linked to breast cancer. Conclusion: Summing up, probiotic supplements, especially, preparations with live bacteria could potentially modulate immune responses and interfere with inflammation in breast cancer. These findings emphasize the significance of the continued study of the probiotic use in the treatment of breast cancer.
