Leuconostoc mesenteroides NRRL B-1149 as probiotic and its dextran with anticancer properties

Leuconostoc mesenteroides NRRL B-1149 was evaluated for its probiotic properties. It displayed in vitro cell surface traits in terms of hydrophobicity, autoaggregation property and cell adhesive capacity on HeLa, murine macrophage and HT29 cell lines, which revealed its capability to adhere and colonize the intestine. The tolerance to various biological barriers such as lysozyme (100 µg/ml), gastric juice (pH 3.0) and bile salts (0.5%, w/v) with 92%, 61.6% and 219% growth, respectively, confirmed its ability to survive in extreme conditions of digestive tract. It showed bile salts hydrolase activity signifying its ability to deconjugate bile salts. The whole cells of Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-1149 showed β-galactosidase activity with 94 Miller units displaying its importance in lactose utilization. The effect of dextran from Leuconostoc mesenteroides B-1149 having α-(1,6) linear glycosidic linkages and α-(1,3) branching was evaluated against cervical cancer (HeLa) and colon cancer (HT29) cell lines. The dextran from L. mesenteroides B-1149 (100 µg/ml) showed 25% inhibition of HeLa cell lines and 1000 µg/ml dextran displayed 40% inhibition of HT29 cell lines. The effect of dextran on murine monocyte-macrophage line (J774A.1) showed increase in growth of macrophages confirming its biocompatible nature.