23 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jgeb.2026.100732 English eng Venkata Kanthi Vaishnavi Vedam Contributor <div class="abstract author" id="as0005" style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: ElsevierGulliver, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, STIXGeneral, "Cambria Math", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Microsoft Sans Serif", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Arial Unicode MS", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><h3 class="u-h4 u-margin-m-top u-margin-xs-bottom" id="st0010" style="margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px; margin-top: 24px !important; margin-bottom: 8px !important; font-size: 20px !important; line-height: 30px !important;">Background</h3><div class="u-margin-s-bottom" id="sp0090" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px; margin-bottom: 16px !important;">Conventional treatments for oral candidiasis face limitations due to rising antifungal resistance and long-term toxicity. Probiotics, particularly, have shown antifungal potential, but their effects on <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">non-albicans</em> species like <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Candida tropicalis</em> are not well understood. This study evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus</em> GG against <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">C</em><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">andida</em> <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">albicans</em> and <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">C</em><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">andida</em><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">tropicalis</em> in a rat model.</div></div><div class="abstract author" id="as0010" style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: ElsevierGulliver, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, STIXGeneral, "Cambria Math", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Microsoft Sans Serif", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Arial Unicode MS", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><h3 class="u-h4 u-margin-m-top u-margin-xs-bottom" id="st0015" style="margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px; margin-top: 24px !important; margin-bottom: 8px !important; font-size: 20px !important; line-height: 30px !important;">Methods</h3><div class="u-margin-s-bottom" id="sp0095" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px; margin-bottom: 16px !important;">Sprague-Dawley rats were immunosuppressed using dexamethasone (0.5 mg/L) and tetracycline (0.1% initially, then 0.01%) in drinking water. A fungal suspension (1 × 10<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 0; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; top: -0.5em;">7</span> CFU/mL) was applied topically to the tongue for three days, and probiotic (0.3 mL of 1 × 10<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 0; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; top: -0.5em;">8</span> CFU/mL) was administered orally for 28 days. Microbiological analysis of tongue swabs was performed using culture and Gram staining on a weekly basis. At the end of the study, blood samples were analyzed for haematological and biochemical parameters, and tongue tissues were examined <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">via</em> histopathology, immunohistochemistry (TLR2, TLR4 and Msp1/p75), and Western blot. Statistical analyses were performed with GraphPad Instat 3.0.</div></div><div class="abstract author" id="as0015" style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: ElsevierGulliver, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, STIXGeneral, "Cambria Math", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Microsoft Sans Serif", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Arial Unicode MS", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><h3 class="u-h4 u-margin-m-top u-margin-xs-bottom" id="st0020" style="margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px; margin-top: 24px !important; margin-bottom: 8px !important; font-size: 20px !important; line-height: 30px !important;">Results</h3><div class="u-margin-s-bottom" id="sp0100" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px; margin-bottom: 16px !important;"><em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">L. rhamnosus</em> GG significantly reduced <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">C. albicans</em> and <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">C. tropicalis</em> colonization in immunosuppressed rats, with greater effects against <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">C. albicans</em>. Probiotic administration maintained normal haematological and biochemical parameters, reduced tissue invasion, and modulated immune responses, as evidenced by changes in TLR2, TLR4, and Msp1/p75 expression. These findings support the antifungal and immunomodulatory potential of <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">L</em>. <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">rhamnosus</em> GG as a complementary therapy for oral candidiasis.</div></div><div class="abstract author" id="as0020" style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(31, 31, 31); font-family: ElsevierGulliver, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, STIXGeneral, "Cambria Math", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Microsoft Sans Serif", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Arial Unicode MS", serif, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><h3 class="u-h4 u-margin-m-top u-margin-xs-bottom" id="st0025" style="margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px; margin-top: 24px !important; margin-bottom: 8px !important; font-size: 20px !important; line-height: 30px !important;">Conclusion</h3><div class="u-margin-s-bottom" id="sp0105" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px; margin-bottom: 16px !important;">The present study suggests that <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">L</em>. <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">rhamnosus</em> GG may contribute to the development of probiotic-based therapies as a potential adjuvant to antifungal therapy in oral candidiasis.</div></div> Elsevier September 2026 pdf Journal of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Evaluation of the Antifungal Effect of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG against Oral candidiasis in Healthy Sprague-Dawley Rats mixed material Elsevier