A Healthy Vaginal Microbiota Remains Stable during Oral Probiotic Supplementation: A Randomised Controlled Trial

• Published in: Microorganisms (Basel) 2023-02, Vol.11 (2), p.499
• Main Authors: Lyra, Anna, Ala-Jaakkola, Reeta, Yeung, Nicolas, Datta, Neeta, Evans, Kara, Hibberd, Ashley, Lehtinen, Markus J, Forssten, Sofia D, Ibarra, Alvin, Pesonen, Tommi, Junnila, Jouni, Ouwehand, Arthur C, Baranowski, Keith, Maukonen, Johanna, Crawford, Gordon, Lehtoranta, Liisa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antibiotics; Antimicrobial agents; Clinical trials; Colonization; Dietary supplements; Ethnicity; Females; Genomes; Gram-positive bacteria; Health aspects; immune markers; Immune system; Lactobacilli; Lactobacillus acidophilus; Menstruation; Microbiota; Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms); Microorganisms; Oral administration; Pathogens; Peptides; pH effects; Placebos; Probiotics; Testing; Vagina; vaginal colonisation; Vaginal mucosa
• ISSN: 2076-2607; 2076-2607
• DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11020499

The primary objective of this randomised, placebo-controlled, triple-blind study was to assess whether orally consumed La-14 (La-14) and HN001 (HN001) colonise a healthy human vagina. Furthermore, potential effects on vaginal microbiota and immune markers were explored. Fifty women devoid of vaginal complaints (Nugent score 0-3 and vaginal pH ≤ 4.5) were randomised into a 2-week intervention with either La-14 and HN001 as the verum product or a comparable placebo. Vaginal swab samples were collected at baseline, after one and two weeks of intervention, and after a one-week follow-up, for assessing colonisation of the supplemented lactobacilli, vaginal microbiota, and six specific immune markers. Colonisation of and was not observed above the assay detection limit (5.29 and 5.11 log 10 genomes/swab for and , respectively). Vaginal microbiotas remained stable and predominated by lactobacilli throughout the intervention, and vaginal pH remained optimal (at least 90% of participants in both groups had pH 4.0 or 4.5 throughout the study). Immune markers elafin and human β-defensin 3 (HBD-3) were significantly decreased in the verum group ( = 0.022 and = 0.028, respectively) but did not correlate with any microbiota changes. Adverse events raised no safety concerns, and no undesired changes in the vaginal microbiota or immune markers were detected.