Lactococcus lactis W136

Lactococcus lactis W136 is a specific strain of the Gram-positive lactic acid bacterium Lactococcus lactis being developed and marketed as a probiotic live biotherapeutic for intranasal use, particularly in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) refractory to surgery and maximal medical therapy. It is administered as a high-volume sinus irrigation containing approximately 1.2 × 10^9 CFU of live bacteria in buffered saline, where it modulates the sinonasal microbiome, reduces sinus pathogens, and increases protective commensals such as Dolosigranulum pigrum, leading to improvements in symptoms, endoscopic mucosal appearance, and quality of life.[1][3] Mechanistically, transcriptomic analyses of treated sinus mucosa indicate that L. lactis W136 influences epithelial and immune pathways, including enhanced epithelial cell cycle and renewal, DNA repair, regulation of reactive oxygen species, and modulation of innate and adaptive immunity, consistent with known immunomodulatory properties of lactic acid bacteria such as IL-10 induction and TLR2 signaling modulation.[2][3] A commercial sinus irrigation formulation containing L. lactis W136 is available in North America under the name ProbioRinse and is being investigated as a novel microbiome-targeted therapy for CRS and related sinonasal inflammatory disorders.[3][6][9]

Brand names

ProbioRinse

Other names

Probiorinse