Mini-review: Antihypertensive activity of probiotic Lactobacillus casei through modulation of the gut microbiota

Abstract

Hypertension is one of the primary risk factors for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. Traditional pharmacotherapy of hypertension has the potential for adverse side-effects. Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) is a type of bacteria that is widely used as a probiotic in food and biotechnology industries. This review focuses on exploring the potential of L. casei as an antihypertensive therapy. A comprehensive literature search was conducted with the keywords "blood pressure", "cardiovascular disease", "gut microbiota", "hypertension", "probiotic bacteria", and "probiotics". The identified studies reported on the antihypertensive effect of L. casei through its modulation of the microbiota in the gut. Although early experimental studies in mice are promising, further research at higher levels of evidence is required to corroborate the antihypertensive mechanism of L. casei before the probiotic can be implemented as an alternative or adjunct treatment of hypertension.