Brief Article
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World J Gastroenterol. Aug 14, 2012; 18(30): 4012-4018
Published online Aug 14, 2012. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v18.i30.4012
Clinical trial: Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (DSM 9843) improves symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome
Philippe Ducrotté, Prabha Sawant, Venkataraman Jayanthi
Philippe Ducrotté, Department of Gastroenterology (Inserm UMR-1073), Rouen University Hospital and Rouen University, 76031 Rouen Cedex, France
Prabha Sawant, Department of Gastroenterology, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, Mumbai 400022, India
Venkataraman Jayanthi, Department of Gastroenterology, Gov Stanley Hospital, Chennai 600108, India
Author contributions: Ducrotté P designed the trial and wrote the paper; Sawant P designed the trial and recruited the patients; and Jayanthi V designed the trial and recruited the patients.
Supported by Rosell-Lallemand Institute, France and Probi AB, Sweden
Correspondence to: Dr. Philippe Ducrotté, Department of Gastroenterology (Inserm UMR-1073), Charles Nicolle Rouen University Hospital, 1 Rue de Germont, 76031 Rouen Cedex, France. philippe.ducrotte@chu-rouen.fr
Telephone: +33-2-32886707 Fax: +33-2-35151623
Received: May 26, 2011
Revised: April 4, 2012
Accepted: May 13, 2012
Published online: August 14, 2012
Abstract

AIM: To assess the symptomatic efficacy of Lactobacillus plantarum 299v (L. plantarum 299v) (DSM 9843) for the relief of abdominal symptoms in a large subset of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients fulfilling the Rome III criteria.

METHODS: In this double blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-designed study, subjects were randomized to daily receive either one capsule of L. plantarum 299v (DSM 9843) or placebo for 4 wk. Frequency and intensity of abdominal pain, bloating and feeling of incomplete rectal emptying were assessed weekly on a visual analogue scale while stool frequency was calculated.

RESULTS: Two hundred and fourteen IBS patients were recruited. After 4 wk, both pain severity (0.68 + 0.53 vs 0.92 + 0.57, P < 0.05) and daily frequency (1.01 + 0.77 vs 1.71 + 0.93, P < 0.05) were lower with L. plantarum 299v (DSM 9843) than with placebo. Similar results were obtained for bloating. At week 4, 78.1 % of the patients scored the L. plantarum 299v (DSM 9843) symptomatic effect as excellent or good vs only 8.1 % for placebo (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION: A 4-wk treatment with L. plantarum 299v (DSM 9843) provided effective symptom relief, particularly of abdominal pain and bloating, in IBS patients fulfilling the Rome III criteria.

Keywords: Irritable bowel syndrome; Probiotics; Lactobacillus plantarum 299v; Clinical trial; Abdominal pain