Specific vaginal lactobacilli suppress the inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide stimulation through downregulation of toll-like receptor 4 expression in human embryonic intestinal epithelial cells

Vaginal lactobacilli (VLB) spread from the mother to the infant during vaginal delivery. However, the effects of VLB on infant intestinal function remain unclear. We investigated the probiotic function and immune effects of VLB on the human embryonic intestinal epithelial cell line INT-407. VLB survived artificial gastric juice and adhered to INT-407 cells. Exposure of INT-407 cells to VLB attenuated both the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced stimulation of interleukin-8 and tumor necrosis factor alpha production and the LPS-stimulated upregulation of TLR4 expression. These results suggest that specific VLB suppresses the inflammation induced by LPS stimulation through downregulation of TLR4 expression in human embryonic intestinal epithelial cells.