Lactobacillus sp.—A Threat to Pathogenic Microorganisms and Tumor Cells

Beneficial bacteria, often used as probiotics, play efficient role in providing protection against pathogenic microorganisms in humans. Probiotic bacteria like many Lactobacillus sp. (L. acidophilus, L. casei etc.), Bafidobacterium sp. Streptococcus thermophiles, Bacillus coagulans, etc. are beneficial and nowadays are used as supportive therapeutics. Even Lactobacillus is highlighted for showing the anticancer effects on some human cancer cells (cervical, gastric, colon, breast cancer). Some specific antibiotics like peptide antibiotic, Acidolin; some specific bacteriocins and some metabolites like H2O2, acetic acid, lactic acid produced by Lactobacillus sp. kill or inhibit other microorganisms mainly gram positive and gram negative bacteria, including both enteropathogens and spore formers. Proteins like Enterolisin A, Labyrintho peptin A2, etc. show promising anti-cancer activities. Lactobacillus has effective role in clinical and industrial fields. Clinically it is used to manufacture medicines, some hormones and industrially used for broad fermentations, etc. Studies are going on to use Lactobacillus in more broad ways, by improving strains, increasing specificity, making more effective and to find out some other characteristics to prepare them as more natural therapeutic modality.