Cytotoxic Activity of Familact: A Probiotic Supplement

Background: Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species are among the probiotics discussed due to their anti-cancer effects in the treatment of colorectal and breast cancers in recent studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the anticancer effect of Familact, a commercial probiotic capsule containing seven bacterial strains (L. casei, L. acidophilus, L. rhamnosus, L. bulgaricus, B. breve, B. longum and Streptococcus thermophilus). Methods: Various cancer cell lines including Caco-2, HT-29, T47D and normal cell line L929 were treated with different concentrations of Familact. Using MTT assay, the cytotoxicity effect was investigated for each cell line and then flow cytometry analysis of apoptosis was evaluated. Results: Familact demonstrated inhibitory effects on the proliferation of all tested cancer cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Although Familact augmented apoptotic cell death in HT-29 human cancer cells, it was less effective in the case of Caco-2 and T47D cells. Moreover, exposure to Familact showed moderate cytotoxicity towards L929 mouse fibroblast cells. Conclusion: Familact could be considered as a complementary therapy in the treatment of cancers.