Clinical effects of combined Lactobacillus paracasei and kestose on canine atopic dermatitis

Probiotics and prebiotics are viable bacteria with beneficial effects on the host and components that selectively act on the beneficial commensal bacteria, respectively. The combined use of probiotics and prebiotics is termed synbiotics. Probiotic intake improves dysbiosis in the intestinal microbiota and can positively affect canine atopic dermatitis (CAD). However, clinical studies on improvements in CAD using synbiotics remain limited. In this study, 15 dogs with CAD who received prednisolone, a synthetic glucocorticoid (GC) used in the treatment of CAD, for more than 90 days were continuously treated with Lactobacillus paracasei M-1 from fermented food as a probiotic, and trisaccharide kestose as a prebiotic, for 90 days to determine their synbiotic effects on CAD. The CAD symptoms were evaluated using the canine atopic dermatitis lesion index (CADLI) and pruritus visual analog scores (PVAS) at 30, 60 and 90 days after synbiotic administration. The total prednisolone use for 90 days pre- and post-administration was also evaluated. Synbiotic administration significantly reduced the CADLI (pre: median, 28.0 [22.0-32.0]; 30 days: median, 20.0 [20.0−28.0]; 60 days: median, 20.0 [10.0−21.0]; 90 days: median, 12.0 [10.0-19.0]) and PVAS (pre: median, 6.0 [5.0-7.0]; 30 days: median, 3.0 [3.0-3.5]; 60 days: median, 3.0 [3.0-3.5]; 90 days: median, 2.0 [2.0-3.5]) scores, and reduced the total prednisone use over 90 days (pre: 112.0 [25-450] mg; post: 80.0 [18.-300.0] mg; p<0.001) in the 15 dogs. Thus, the synbiotic activity of L. paracasei M-1 and trisaccharide kestose can improve CAD.