FIG. 5.

Inhibition of infection-induced inflammatory responses by L. casei Shirota. Mice pretreated intravesically with saline (●) or L. casei Shirota at a dose of 1.6 × 10⁸ CFU (○) were infected intravesically with E. coli strain HU-1 at an inoculum of 2 × 10⁶ CFU 24 h later. Urination was obtained immediately after the challenge infection and on days 1, 4, and 7 from nine mice in each group per period. The number of leukocytes was counted (A), and MPO activity in the urine was determined (B). Results are expressed as the means and SDs for three samples (from nine mice). Δ, normal control. Significant differences between untreated controls and the treated group: ∗, P < 0.05; ∗∗, P < 0.01.