Organic and inorganic selenium-enriched Lactobacillus plantarum differentially enhance bacterial antioxidant capacity and support redox homeostasis in intestinal Caco-2 cells through probiotic and postbiotic effects.

Authors

Adriana García-Vara, Marta Titos-Zamora, Ruth Ferrer, Raquel Martín-Venegas

Published in

Frontiers in nutrition. Volume 13. Pages 1894526. Epub Jul 20, 2026.

Abstract

Selenium (Se)-enriched probiotics represent a valuable strategy for delivering this essential trace element in both human and animal nutrition. This study evaluated the effects of organic and inorganic Se supplementation at low (5 μM) and high (250 μM) concentrations on the bacterial antioxidant capacity of Lactobacillus plantarum (LP), as well as the ability of the resulting probiotics and postbiotics (non-lysed cell-free supernatants, CFS) to modulate redox homeostasis in intestinal Caco-2 cells. Se enrichment did not compromise LP viability and increased glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, reduced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and upregulated gpx expression, particularly under high organic Se supplementation. Organic Se also promoted greater intracellular Se accumulation, whereas inorganic Se remained proportionally higher in the extracellular fraction. In Caco-2 cells, both Se-enriched probiotics and postbiotics upregulated GPX1 expression, with stronger effects observed for whole bacteria than for the CFS. However, no significant changes were observed in GPX enzymatic activity or ROS production in the intestinal cells. In conclusion, the results indicate that Se enrichment modulates Se utilization and antioxidant-related responses in LP, with more pronounced effects observed at higher Se concentrations and under organic Se supplementation. Moreover, both organic and inorganic Se-enriched probiotics and postbiotics modulated GPX1 expression in Caco-2 cells, supporting their potential as functional ingredients for maintaining intestinal redox homeostasis. This work therefore extends current evidence on Se-enriched LAB and suggests new opportunities for Se-enriched probiotic and postbiotic formulations targeting intestinal redox balance.

PMID:
42548632
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 04 Aug 2026.

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