Cell Biotech, Elucidates the Mechanism by Which CBT Probiotics Improve Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
Cell Biotech announced that a follow-up study supporting the potential of its CBT probiotics to improve chronic kidney disease(CKD) has been published in Life Sciences (Impact Factor: 6.4), an international journal in the field of pharmacology. The study investigated three probiotic strains: CBT-LA1 (KCTC 11906BP), CBT-LC5 (KCTC 12398BP), and CBT-BL3 (KCTC 11904BP). All three are patented strains used in key DUOLAC products.
Previously, Zvezdara University Hospital in Serbia conducted a clinical trial investigating the effects of Cell Biotech’s CBT probiotics in patients with CKD. In a study involving 34 patients with pre-dialysis CKD (stages G3–G4), the group taking CBT probiotics showed a 12.5% increase in glomerular filtration rate (GFR), a key indicator of kidney function. Blood levels of indoxyl sulfate (IS), a uremic toxin, decreased by 21.5%, while high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), a marker of inflammation, decreased by 39.5%. These findings provided preliminary clinical evidence supporting the potential of CBT probiotics to improve CKD.
In the follow-up study, researchers investigated the mode of action of CBT probiotics through in vitro experiments measuring indole reduction and animal experiments using mice with cisplatin-induced kidney injury. In vitro experiments showed that the three CBT probiotic strains reduced indole, a precursor involved in uremic toxin production, by up to 87.7%. In the animal experiments, blood levels of IS, a uremic toxin produced from indole, decreased by 82.7%. Blood levels of another major gut-derived uremic toxin, p-cresyl sulfate (pCS), also decreased by 92.7%.
The study also found reductions of 73.3% in kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), a marker of kidney injury, and 26.9% in C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine levels, which are indicators of kidney function, were also reduced by 71.5% and 37.3%, respectively.
To compare the effects, the researchers used AST-120, an oral spherical adsorbent used to remove uremic toxins in patients with CKD, as a positive control. Both treatment groups showed reductions in uremic toxins; however, differences emerged in the composition of the gut microbiota. In the CBT probiotic group, the gut microbiota shifted toward a composition resembling that of the normal control group, whereas no comparable shift was observed in the AST-120 group.
These findings demonstrate that CBT probiotics improved gut microbiota imbalance and reduced uremic toxins, while also improving markers associated with kidney injury and inflammation. Notably, the study analyzed the relationships among changes in gut microbiota, reductions in uremic toxins, and improvements in kidney-related indicators, providing a more detailed understanding of the mode of action of CBT probiotics. The findings also expand the body of research supporting the gut–kidney axis as a framework for understanding the relationship between gut health and kidney function.
A representative from Cell Biotech’s R&D Center said, “This study is significant because, following our clinical research in patients with CKD, we investigated the potential of CBT probiotics to regulate uremic toxins and influence the gut microbiota environment in animal experiments. We will continue research into the gut–kidney axis and the broader microbiome field to further characterize the mode of action of CBT probiotics and expand their potential applications across various areas of health.”
Meanwhile, Cell Biotech is expanding its research into the biopharmaceutical sector, including the development of colon cancer therapeutics, building on its expertise in K-probiotics. DUOLAC is strengthening its leadership in the domestic probiotic market through its proprietary Dual Coating technology, which has been shown to increase probiotic survival in the gastrointestinal tract by up to 221-fold. The brand is also consolidating its position in global markets, with Cell Biotech maintaining its position as Korea’s No. 1 exporter of probiotics for 13 consecutive years.
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Category | Details |
Research Topic | Amelioration of Cisplatin-Induced Kidney Injury by a CBT Probiotic Mixture Through Uremic Toxin Reduction and Gut Microbiota Modulation |
Probiotic Strains | Lactobacillus acidophilus CBT-LA1 (KCTC 11906BP) Lacticaseibacillus casei CBT-LC5 (KCTC 12398BP) Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis CBT-BL3 (KCTC 11904BP) |
Research Institution | Cell Biotech R&D Center |
Research Methods | An in vitro extracellular assay to evaluate the indole-removal capacity of the probiotic strains, and an in vivo mouse model of cisplatin-induced kidney injury |
Paper Title | Probiotic mixture ameliorates cisplatin-induced kidney injury by reducing uremic toxins and modulating the gut microbiota |
Journal | Life Sciences, Volume 405, 2026 |
