Probiotic species Lactobacillus reuteri

US researchers found mice living in a drying atmosphere had healthier and more intact corneal surfaces when given the oral probiotic Limosilactobacillus reuteri than those given saline solution alone.

Led by Assistant Professor Laura Schaefer of Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, the research team performed several experiments on mice using either gut bacteria isolated from Sjögren syndrome patients who had severe dry eye or from healthy patients. “When mice are colonised with Sjögren-patient gut bacteria they develop worse dry eye under (low humidity) conditions than mice colonised with gut bacteria from healthy patients,” she said.

A subsequent study using L. reuteri not only improved the corneal surfaces of the mice but increased the number of mucin-producing goblet cells in their eye tissue. The commercially available probiotic DSM17938 strain of L. reuteri has been well studied and shown to lower inflammation in other tissues, notably the gut, and improve intestinal barrier function, said A/Prof Schaefer.

For more on the gut-eye axis, click here.