Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40424990›Full record

ArticleJournal of innate immunity2025

Interactions of Probiotics with the Immune Cells of Patients with COVID-19 Pneumonia.

Ioannis Mitrou, George Dimopoulos, Konstantina Dakou, Panagiotis Koufargyris, Georgia Damoraki, Theologia Gkavogianni, Evangelos J Giamarellos-Bourboulis

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Journal of innate immunity, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Ioannis MitrouFourth Department of Internal Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.
George DimopoulosThird Department of Critical Care Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.
Konstantina DakouHellenic Institute for the Study of Sepsis, Athens, Greece.
Panagiotis KoufargyrisFourth Department of Internal Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.
Georgia DamorakiFourth Department of Internal Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.
Theologia GkavogianniFourth Department of Internal Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.
Evangelos J Giamarellos-BourboulisFourth Department of Internal Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionIn severe COVID-19, excessive cytokine release may be driven by SARS-CoV-2. We investigated the modulatory effect of probiotics taking into consideration direct interaction with the immune gut cells.

methodsFifty-five patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection were classified by the presence of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or not. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a preparation of four probiotics (LactoLevure® containing Saccharomyces boulardii, Bifidobacterium lactis BB-12, Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5, and L. plantarum) and/or recombinant human interferon-gamma (rhIFNγ) and tocilizumab. Cytokine concentrations were measured in cell supernatants. Gene expression of Toll-like receptors 2 (TLR2) and 4 (TLR4) was performed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results were associated with the level of viremia.

resultsProbiotics decreased tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) production by the PBMCs of both ARDS and non-ARDS patients. LPS stimulated the production of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 in non-ARDS patients. IL-6 production was maintained in the presence of probiotics. rhIFNγ enhanced LPS-stimulated cytokine production by PBMCs; this was not the case when PBMCs were stimulated by probiotics. Probiotics upregulated TLR2 and LPS downregulated TLR4 in the PBMCs of patients with ARDS. PBMCs from patients with viremia had more cytokine production by probiotic stimulation.

conclusionProbiotics interact with the immune system of COVID-19 patients by modulating the production of TNFα, IL-1β, and IL-6 in an IFNγ-independent mechanism.

Indexed as

COVID-19Leukocytes, MononuclearProbioticsRespiratory Distress SyndromeSARS-CoV-2AdultAgedAntibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedBifidobacteriumCells, CulturedCytokinesFemaleHumansInterferon-gammaLipopolysaccharidesMaleAntibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedCytokinesInterferon-gammaLipopolysaccharidesTLR2 protein, humanTLR4 protein, humantocilizumabToll-Like Receptor 2Toll-Like Receptor 4COVID-19ProbioticsToll-like receptor 2Toll-like receptor 4

Identifiers

PMID40424990
PMCPMC12112972

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.