Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii Ameliorate the Expression of miR-125a and miR-146a in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients.

The microRNAs are non-coding RNA molecules involved in physiological and pathological processes, causing autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Probiotics are living microorganisms that possess beneficial effects on the host immune system and modulate it. The effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii on the expression of miR-125a and miR-146a was studied in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from newly diagnosed lupus patients in this in vitro study. During this study, 20 recently diagnosed SLE patients and 20 healthy individuals participated. Ficoll method was used to isolate the PBMCs from whole blood, which were cultured for 48 h with Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii. In the next step, total RNA containing microRNA was extracted. cDNA was synthesized for miR-125a and miR-146a genes and analyzed by real-time PCR. Results were presented as fold changes. As compared to healthy controls, SLE patients expressed lower levels of miR-125a and miR-146a. PBMCs treated with Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii, or both probiotics had significantly higher levels of miR-125a and miR-146a compared to the untreated group. Treatment of PBMCs with both L. rhamnosus and L. delbrueckii upregulated the expression of miR-125a and miR-146a in treated cells compared with untreated cells in SLE patients (p = 0.02, p = 0.001). Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii modify lupus patients' immune responses and disease effects by regulating miR-125a and miR-146a.