Exopolysaccharides (EPS), metabolic products secreted by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains, have several biomedical effects. Our study focused on the extraction and purification of EPS from a new local strain, Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis strain Iraq-Basrah 3, which was characterized by analyzing its monomer subunits, assessing its impact on cytotoxic testing, and investigating its immunostimulatory activity in vivo. The results show that the biopolymer for EPS is composed of five sugar subunits: glucose, galactose, ribose, xylose, and glucosamine. It exhibits non-cytotoxic and RBC membrane stabilization. Furthermore, EPS demonstrated immunomodulatory capability, stimulating the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and suppressing the pro-inflammatory IL-6 in treated groups (administered orally and via intraperitoneal injection). When induced with LPS, there was no significant change in hematological parameters compared to normal groups. In contrast, there was no observed effect in the group treated with yogurt fermented with the starter B. longum subsp. infantis strain Iraq-Basrah 3 producing EPS, which showed increased IL-6 levels and hematological parameters (WBC, neutrophils, and PCV) while decreasing monocyte, lymphocyte, and PT levels. We conclude that EPS is a novel compound that can be used directly as an immunotherapy agent to treat inflammation and is immunomodulatory; furthermore, it is safe for health and nontoxic.
Key words: Immunomodulatory, IL-10 stimulation, Anti-inflammatory, Exopolysaccharides, IL-6 suppresser, RBC membrane stabilization.
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