Killing accompanies phagocytosis; otherwise, macrophages could serve as a vehicle for dissemination of infection. In addition, cytokine and chemokine synthesis by macrophages likely occurs during each of these steps (20). Our ex vivo studies showed that administration of the three strains Lc431, Lr1505 or Lr1506 significantly increases the microbicidal and phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages as well as their ability to produce cytokines. Therefore, all functions of peritoneal JAK/stat pathway macrophages are increased by lactobacilli. Reportedly, cytokines produced in the small intestine after probiotic stimulation can be released

into the circulation (21). When studying the concentrations of IFN-γ in serum, we found that LAB treatments induced significant increases in the concentrations of this cytokine. Considering that IFN-γ is the principal macrophage-activating cytokine and serves critical functions in innate immunity, improved production of this cytokine would mediate the stimulation of peritoneal macrophages by the lactobacilli strains. Researchers evaluating the effect of continuous administration of fermented milk containing the probiotic bacterium L. casei DN-114001 have previously described a correlation between improved production of IFN-γ and activity of peritoneal macrophages (22). Considering that several studies have demonstrated the importance of activated macrophages in controlling systemic and mucosal C. albicans

infections, we decided to confirm our ex vivo results with in vivo studies using infection-challenge experiments in mice. We observed PI3K inhibitor that mice treated with Lc431, Lr1505 or Lr1506 were able to control the infection induced by intraperitoneal challenge with pathogenic C. albicans. This protective effect correlated with increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and increased recruitment of phagocytic cells in the peritoneal cavity compared to control mice. Thus, the present study extends our and others previous observations Non-specific serine/threonine protein kinase by demonstrating that activation of peritoneal macrophages by orally administered probiotic bacteria improves

resistance to pathogens. Administration of probiotic lactobacilli stimulates macrophages and dendritic cells in the gut, inducing production of IFN-γ in the intestine and consequently increasing blood concentrations of IFN-γ. IFN-γ activates peritoneal macrophages that, in the presence of a pathogen such as C. albicans, have an increased capacity for phagocytosis and killing of yeasts and induction of recruitment and activation of additional phagocytic cells that contribute to further control of the infection. Furthermore, the extent of peritoneal macrophage activation depends on the amounts of IFN-γ induced by each probiotic strain; we observed increased activation of these cells in animals treated with Lc431, the strain that induced the greatest concentrations of IFN-γ in both the gut and serum.