Table 2.
Acne vulgaris and probiotics.
| Reference | Study | Probiotic | Key Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowe [112]. | In vitro | Streptococcus salivarius | Bacteriocin inhibited C. acnes growth. |
| Oh [113]. | In vitro | Lactococcus sp. HY 449 | Bacteriocin inhibited C. acnes growth. |
| Deidda [114]. | In vitro | Lactobacillus salivarius LS03 | Bacteriocin inhibited C. acnes growth. |
| Lee [109]. | In vitro | Bifidobacterium adolescentis | Antimicrobial activity against C. acnes and Staphylococcus aureus. |
| Wang [115]. | In vitro | Staphylococcus epidermidis | Production of succinic acid through glycerol fermentation. |
| Cosseau [116]. | In vitro | Streptococcus salivarius K12 | Anti-inflammatory response; modulation of genes associated with epithelial adhesion. |
| Gueniche [117]. | In vitro | Lactobacillus paracasei CNCM I-2126 | Improvement of skin barrier function. |
| Al-Ghazzewi [120]. | In vitro | L. casei NCFB 161, L. acidophilus NCFB 1748, L. plantarum DSM 12028, L. gasseri NCFB 2233, and Lactococcus lactis NCIMB 66 plus glucomannan hydrolysates of Amorphophallus konjac | Inhibition of C. acnes growth. |
| Lopes [121]. | In vitro | Several Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains | Adherence to keratin; inhibition of biofilm formation of pathogenic bacteria; limited ability to adhere to C. acnes. |
| Chae [122]. | In vitro | L. plantarum APsulloc 331261 and APsulloc 331266 | Inhibition of skin pathogen growth. |
| Espinoza-Monje [123]. | In vitro and murine model | Weissella viridescens UCO_SMC3 | Inhibition of C. acnes growth; anti-inflammatory effects. |
| Siver [124]. | Clinical trial | L. acidophilus and L. bulgaricus (oral) | A total of 300 acne patients; 2 weeks of treatment. Clinical improvement in 80% of acne patients. |
| Jung [127]. | RCT, open-label | L. acidophilus (5 × 109 CFU/capsule), L. bulgaricus (5 × 109 CFU/capsule) and B. bifidum (20 × 109 CFU/capsule) (oral); two capsules/day | A total of 45 acne patients; three study groups (probiotic, minocycline, probiotic plus minocycline); 12 weeks of treatment. Patients treated with probiotic mixture plus minocycline had significantly better efficacy in terms of total number of lesions. |
| Fabbrocini [128]. | RCT, double-blinded, placebo-controlled | Liquid supplement containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus SP1 at a dose of 3 × 109 CFU/day (oral) | A total of 20 acne patients; 12 weeks of treatment. IGF-1 and FoxO1 gene expression in skin acne areas. Statistically significant reduction in the expression of the IGF-1 gene of 32% and a statistically significant increase in the FoxO1 gene of 65% in probiotic group. Clinical improvement in patients treated with probiotic. |
| Rahmayani [129] | Pre-experimental clinical study with a pretest/posttest | B. lactis W51, B. lactis W52, L. acidophilus W55, L. casei W56, L. salivarius W57, and Lactococcus lactis W58, with total bacterial cells > 108 CFU per sachet (oral); two sachets/day | A total of 30 acne patients; 30 days of treatment. An increase in IL-10 was seen after probiotic mixture treatment. |
| Manzhalii [132]. | RCT, controlled, nonblinded | Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (oral); one capsule contained 2.5–25 × 109 CFU; two capsules/day | A total of 82 patients with intestinal-borne dermatoses (some of them were diagnosed with acne); 1 month of treatment. Two study groups (patients treated with a conventional topical therapy consisting of ointments containing tetracycline, steroids, and retinoids; and patients treated with conventional topical therapy plus probiotic). A total of 89% of patients treated with E. coli Nissle 1917 improved significantly, while 56% improved in the group treated with only the conventional topical therapy. |
| Rinaldi [133]. | RCT, double-blinded, placebo-controlled | B. breve BR03 (0.5 × 109 CFU), L. casei LC03 (≥0.5 × 109 CFU), and L. salivarius LS03 (≥1.0 × 109 CFU) plus a botanical extract of Solanum melongena and Echinacea (oral); one sachet/day | A total of 114 acne patients. Four study groups (placebo, probiotics, botanical extracts, and probiotics plus botanical extracts); 8 weeks of treatment. A decreased number of acne lesions, rate of desquamation, rate of sebum secretion, and presence of C. acnes was found in patients treated with the probiotic mixture and botanical extract, and a mixture of both. Stronger effects were seen with the probiotic mix plus the botanical extract. |
| Kang [136]. | RCT, double-blinded, placebo-controlled | Concentrated powder lotion obtained from supernatant culture of Enterococcus faecalis SL-5 (topical) | A total of 70 acne patients; 8 weeks of treatment. A decrease in inflammatory lesions was seen. |
| AOBiome [137]. | RCT, double-blinded, placebo-controlled | Nitrosomonas eutropha (topical) | A total of 358 acne subjects; 12 weeks of treatment. A reduction in severity and a trend toward a reduction in inflammatory lesions was seen. |
| Sathikulpakdee [138]. | RCT | Lactobacillus paraceasei MSMC 39-1 (topical) | A total of 104 acne patients; 4 weeks treatment. Topical probiotics vs. 2.5% benzoyl peroxide lotion were compared. Acne lesions and the erythema index were decreased. |
CFU: colony-forming units; RCT: randomized clinical trial.