Bacteria under study will be Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium breve whose metabolites, lactic and acetic acid, are believed to control the cell cycle of the intestinal epithelium. Preliminary experiments at Pasteur Institute were done using co-cultivation of m-ICcl2 mouse epithelial cells with L. casei or B. breve, under a grant from the European Science Foundation and additional financial support from Danone. For further fundamental experiments, Yakult will dispatch a researcher to Pasteur Institute (Professor Phillipe J. Sansonetti).
Yakult press release, May 16, 2013
Yakult collaborates with Pasteur Institute on mechanism of action of intestinal bacteria