This study aimed at assessing the effects of Kefir, a probiotic fermented milk, on oxidative stress in diabetic animals. The induction of diabetes was achieved in adult male Wistar rats using streptozotocin (STZ). The animals were distributed into four groups as follows: control (CTL); control Kefir (CTLK); diabetic (DM) and diabetic Kefir (DMK). Starting on the 5th day of diabetes, Kefir was a...

BACKGROUND/AIMS The effect of kefir on peptic ulcer disease was evaluated in an experimental model, with non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, together with the determination of gastric mucus secretion by quantitative digital histochemistry. MATERIALS AND METHODS The experimental group included 28 male albino Wistar rats. After a diet with standard rat bait for 7 days, 14 rats were fed with ke...

Administration of kefir and a kefir cell-free fraction (KF) to mice injected with breast tumor cells produced, locally in the mammary gland, different profiles of cells secreting cytokines. Here, the immune cell populations in mammary glands affected by the cyclic consumption of kefir or KF for 2 or 7 d were evaluated using a breast tumor model. Apoptosis was also assayed as another mechanism i...

kefiran is an exopolysaccharide produced by microorganisms present in the kefir grains that has several health promoting properties. in this research, physico-mechanical and thermal characteristics of nanocomposite film composed of kefiran-montmorillonite (mmt; 1, 3 and 5% w/w) were studied. results showed that the thickness and the tensile strength of the films increased by increasing the nano...

Tibetan mushroom (TM) is a fermented beverage composed by a dozen of bacteria and yeasts living together into polysaccharide grains secreted by them. TM is similar to kefir, a probiotic beverage originated in the Caucasian mountains exhibiting some anti-bacterial, anti-mycotic, anti-neoplastic and immunomodulatory effects. Aiming to evaluate a plausible anti-inflammatory property of TM we condu...

The characteristics of 58 strains of Lactobacillus spp. isolated from kefir were studied. These strains were tested for adherence to human enterocyte-like Caco-2 cells, resistance to acidic pH and bile acid, antimicrobial activities against enteropathogenic bacteria and inhibition of Salmonella typhimurium attachment to Caco-2 cells. The best probiotic properties were observed in L. acidophilus...