HYPOGLYCEMIC POTENTIAL OF PROBIOTIC DNA LOADED CHITOSAN NANOPARTICLES: AN IN VIVO STUDY

The rise in infectious diseases as well as noninfectious immune related disorders causes millions of premature deaths worldwide and demands the need for the development of efficient immunomodulators. Consumer awareness about the harmful effects of chemical drugs raised a need to search for natural/ alternative therapies for the treatment of diseases. Immunotherapy is one of the alternative ways of modification of diseases. Some bacterial cell components such as peptidoglycans, lipoteichoic acid, secreted soluble substances, genomic DNA, etc, play role in immunomodulation responses. Structural difference between bacterial and eukaryotic DNA apparently account for the ability of bacterial DNA to serve as an immune activating agent, because of its high content of unmethylated CpG dinucleotides. Probiotic DNA’s efficacy could be further enhanced by loading it onto nanoparticles. Nanoparticle-assisted delivery may be a promising approach to alleviate the problem of instability and degradation of DNA. The present study was conducted to prepare and characterize the probiotic DNA loaded chitosan nanoparticles (DLCNP) and to find out the anti-diabetic potential of probiotic bacterial DNA Lactobacillus acidophilus NCDC 343 (LA DNA). Therapeutic efficacy of Probiotic DNA loaded with Chitosan Nanoparticles was evaluated in treating diabetic Balb/c mice. DNA loaded Chitosan Nanoparticles proved as effective anti-diabetic agents and in addition, the bioactivity of probiotic DNA was improved through nano delivery. Keywords: Probiotics, Probiotic DNA, Chitosan-DNA Nanoparticles, Immunotherapy, Anti-diabetic/ Hypoglycemic activity