COMPOSITION, FOR PREVENTING HAIR LOSS OR PROMOTING HAIR GROWTH, COMPRISING STRAINS SHOWING LIPOLYSIS EFFECT

Abstract

The present invention relates to a novel Leuconostoc holzapfelii Ceb-kc-003 (deposited as Korea Accession Number accession KCCM11830P) strain and a composition comprising the same. The novel strain has abilities of preventing hair loss, promoting hair growth, or improving sexual function.

Claims

1. A composition for preventing hair loss or promoting hair growth comprising a strain having lipolysis ability.

2-21. (canceled)

22. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the strain having lipolysis ability is Leuconostoc holzapfelii, Leuconostoc mesenteroides or Lactobacillus sakei.

23. The composition according to claim 22, wherein the strain is Leuconostoc holzapfelii Ceb-kc-003 (KCCM11830P), Leuconostoc mesenteroides (KCCM11827P) or Lactobacillus sakei (KCCM11841P).

24. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the strain having lipolysis ability is administered in an amount of about 0.0001 mg/kg to about 10 g/kg daily.

25. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the composition is a pharmaceutical or food composition.

26. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the composition is administered orally or parenterally.

27. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the strain having lipolysis ability at a concentration of 510.sup.4 to 510.sup.8 CFU/ml is administered 1 to 4 times (30 ml to 100 ml each time) daily.

28. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the composition is effective in improving sexual function.

29. The composition according to claim 1, further comprising a strain capable of lowering cholesterol levels.

30. The composition according to claim 29, wherein the strain capable of lowering cholesterol levels is a strain belonging to the genus Brevibacillus, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Propionibacterium, Enterococcus or Bifidobacterium.

31. The composition according to claim 30, wherein the strain is Brevibacillus reuszeri Ceb-ch-003 (KCCM11911P), Enterococcus faecium Ceb-ch-001 (KCCM11909P) or Lactobacillus fermentum Ceb-ch-002 (KCCM11910P).

32. The composition according to claim 1, wherein the strain having lipolysis ability is present in an amount of 0.05 to 80 wt %, based on the weight of the composition.

33. The composition according to claim 29, wherein the composition comprises 0.05 wt % to 50 wt % of the strain capable of lowering cholesterol levels.

34. The composition according to claim 29, wherein the composition is effective in lowering cholesterol levels and/or improving sexual function.

35. A Leuconostoc mesenteroides strain (KCCM11827P), a culture thereof, a concentrate thereof or a dried product thereof.

36. The strain or the culture, concentrate or dried product thereof according to claim 35, wherein the strain is effective in preventing hair loss, promoting hair growth, improving sexual function or decomposing fat.

37. A method for preventing hair loss or promoting hair growth, comprising administering the composition according to claim 1 to a subject in need.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0040] FIG. 1 is a histogram comparing the effects of Leuconostoc holzapfelii Ceb-kc-003 (KCCM11830P) and another lactic acid bacterial strain on fat decomposition.

[0041] FIG. 2 is a histogram comparing the effects of Leuconostoc holzapfelii Ceb-kc-003 (KCCM11830P) and another lactic acid bacterial strain on NO production.

[0042] FIG. 3 is a histogram comparing the effects of Lactobacillus sakei (KCCM11841P) and another lactic acid bacterial strain on fat decomposition.

[0043] FIG. 4 is a histogram comparing the effects of Leuconostoc mesenteroides KCCM11827P and another lactic acid bacterial strain on fat decomposition.

[0044] FIG. 5 shows photographs comparing scalp hair before and 3.5 months after taking Leuconostoc holzapfelii Ceb-kc-003 (KCCM11830P).

[0045] FIG. 6 shows photographs comparing scalp hair before and 2.5 and 3.5 months after taking Leuconostoc holzapfelii Ceb-kc-003 (KCCM11830P).

[0046] FIG. 7 shows photographs comparing scalp hair before and 1.7 months after taking Leuconostoc holzapfelii Ceb-kc-003 (KCCM11830P).

[0047] FIG. 8 shows photographs comparing scalp hair before and 3 months after taking Leuconostoc holzapfelii Ceb-kc-003 (KCCM11830P).

[0048] FIG. 9 shows photographs showing changes in the gloss and thickness of hairs and the growth of new bangs after taking Leuconostoc mesenteroides (KCCM11827P) for 3 months.

[0049] FIG. 10 shows photographs comparing scalp hair before and 45 days after taking Leuconostoc mesenteroides (KCCM11827P).

[0050] FIG. 11 shows photographs comparing hair thicknesses, strengths, and colors before and 1 month after taking Leuconostoc mesenteroides (KCCM1827P).

[0051] FIG. 12 shows photographs comparing scalp hair before and 27 days after taking Lactobacillus sakei (KCCM11841P).

[0052] FIG. 13 shows photographs comparing scalp hair before and 2 months after taking Lactobacillus sakei (KCCM11841P).

[0053] FIG. 14 shows photographs comparing scalp hair before and 1.5 months after taking Lactobacillus sakei (KCCM11841P).

[0054] FIG. 15 shows photographs comparing scalp hair before and 2 months after taking a combination of Leuconostoc mesenteroides (KCCM11827P) and Lactobacillus fermentum Ceb-ch-002 (KCCM11910P).

[0055] FIG. 16 shows photographs comparing scalp hair before and 1.5 months after taking a combination of Leuconostoc mesenteroides (KCCM11827P) and Lactobacillus fermentum Ceb-ch-002 (KCCM11910P).

[0056] FIG. 17 shows photographs comparing scalp hair before and 1.5 months after taking a combination of Lactobacillus sakei (KCCM11841P) and Lactobacillus fermentum Ceb-ch-002 (KCCM11910P).

[0057] FIG. 18 shows photographs comparing scalp hair before and 3 months after taking a combination of Lactobacillus sakei (KCCM11841P) and Lactobacillus fermentum Ceb-ch-002 (KCCM11910P).

[0058] FIG. 19 is a histogram comparing the ability of Lactobacillus fermentum (KCCM11910P) isolated from cheonggukjang. Korean fermented soybean, to remove cholesterol with that of another lactic acid bacterial strain.

MODE FOR INVENTION

[0059] The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples. However, these examples are provided for illustrative purposes only and the present invention is not limited thereto.

Example 1-3: Isolation of Leuconostoc holzapfelii Strain Ceb-Kc-003 (KCCM11830P), Leuconostoc mesenteroides Strain (KCCM11827P) and Lactobacillus sakei Strain (KCCM11841P) from Kimchi and Identification of the Strains

[0060] (1) Sampling and Strain Isolation

[0061] A sample was taken from kimchi, a traditional Korean fermented food, diluted stepwise, plated on a BHI solid medium (Difco, USA) supplemented with 3% sodium chloride, and cultured at 37 C. for 24 h. A dominant strain was isolated from the sample. Colonies were selected and passaged three times in fresh media. The pure cultured bacterial strain was placed in a medium supplemented with 20% glycerol and stored at <70 C.

[0062] (2) Investigation of Morphological and Taxological Properties

[0063] The isolated strain was identified. To this end, the strain was primarily morphologically and biochemically investigated. The strain was found to be morphologically Gram-positive by Gram staining. The taxological properties of the strain were analyzed by 16s rRNA partial sequencing. As a result, the isolated strain was found to have a homology of 99% with Leuconostoc holzapfelii.

[0064] The newly isolated strain Leuconostoc holzapfelii Ceb-kc-003 was deposited with the Korean Culture Center of Microorganisms (120-861, Hongje-2ga-Gil, Seodaemun-Ku, Seoul, Korea) on Apr. 11, 2016 and assigned accession number KCCM11830P.

[0065] A dominant strain was isolated from another kimchi sample after culture under the conditions described above. As a result of morphological and biochemical investigation, the strain was found to have a homology of 99% with Leuconostoc mesenteroides.

[0066] The newly isolated strain Leuconostoc mesenteroides was deposited with the Korean Culture Center of Microorganisms (120-861, Hongje-2ga-Gil. Seodaemun-Ku, Seoul, Korea) on Apr. 6, 2016 and assigned accession number KCCM11827P.

[0067] A dominant strain was isolated from another kimchi sample after culture under the conditions described above. As a result of morphological and biochemical investigation, the strain was found to have a homology of 99% with Lactobacillus sakei.

[0068] The newly isolated strain Lactobacillus sakei was deposited with the Korean Culture Center of Microorganisms (120-861. Hongje-2ga-Gil, Seodaemun-Ku. Seoul, Korea) on Jun. 1, 2016 and assigned accession number KCCM11841P.

[0069] The strains were freeze-dried and powdered.

[0070] (3) Preparation of Culture Solutions of the Strains

[0071] A culture solution of Leuconostoc holzapfelii Ceb-kc-003 was prepared by the following procedure (Example 1):

[0072] 2 kg of dextrose, 1.5 kg of whole milk powder, and 0.05 kg of an yeast extract were added to 100 liters of purified water. The mixture was sterilized in an autoclave at 121 C. for 15-30 min and cooled to around 35 C. Thereafter, the sterile mixture was inoculated with 0.2-0.4 liters of Leuconostoc holzapfelii Ceb-kc-003, followed by culture at around 35 C. for 2-3 days.

[0073] Culture solutions of Leuconostoc mesenteroides (KCCM11827P) and Lactobacillus sakei (KCCM1841P) were prepared in the same manner as described above for the culture solution of Leuconostoc holzapfelii Ceb-kc-003 (Examples 2-3, respectively).

Example 4: Effect of the Leuconostoc holzapfelii Strain Ceb-Kc-003 (KCCM11830P) on Fat Decomposition

[0074] In this example, the effect of the Leuconostoc holzapfelii strain Ceb-kc-003 (KCCM11830P) on fat decomposition was examined. To this end, 1000 cc of pork fat was treated with 20-100 ml of culture solutions of the strain, followed by shaking at 37 C. for 24 h. This procedure was repeated for Lactobacillus plantarum as a control.

[0075] The results are shown in FIG. 1.

[0076] From these results, it can be concluded that the powder of the Leuconostoc holzapfelii strain Ceb-kc-003 (KCCM11830P) is significantly effective in fat decomposition in proportion to the strain concentration compared to the other lactic acid bacterial species Lactobacillus plantarum.

Example 5: Effects of the Leuconastoc holzapfelii Strain Ceb-Kc-003 (KCCM11830P) on Improving Sexual Function and Preventing Sexual Dysfunction

[0077] The powders of the Leuconostoc holzapfelii strain Ceb-kc-003 (KCCM11830P) at concentrations of 110.sup.6 to 110.sup.8 CFU/ml were administered orally to a total of 10 male smokers or non-smokers with or without sexual dysfunction, aged 45-70 years, once or twice (50 ml to 100 ml each time) daily over a total of 3 months. The frequency of erections in the early morning, erectility, and duration of erection were self-evaluated before and at I-month intervals after administration of the strain.

[0078] 4 out of the 10 men answered questionnaires for 1-3 months after taking. The results are shown in Table 1.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Data on effects of the strain on improving in sexual function Subject Male non-smoker at Male non-smoker at Male smoker at age Male smoker at Time age 45 age 54 63 age 57 Before taking Good erectility Good erectility Impotence Poor erectility 1 month after Increased frequency Good erectility Impotence Poor erectility taking of erections in the early morning 2 months after Increased frequency Increased duration of Erection in the early Increased frequency taking of erections in the erection morning of erections in the early morning early morning 3 months after Increased duration of Increased frequency of Increased frequency Increased duration taking erection erections of erections in the of erection early morning

[0079] The above results indicate that continuous taking of the powder of the Leuconostoc holzapfelii strain Ceb-kc-003 is effective in preventing and treating sexual dysfunction.

[0080] In addition, the concentrations of NO released from Hacat cells for 24 h were evaluated. NO is helpful in improving erectility due to its ability to increase blood circulation and dilate capillaries. The concentrations of NO produced after taking the novel strain of the present invention were compared with those after taking Lactobacillus plantarum. This experiment was conducted in triplicate and the data were averaged. The results are shown in FIG. 2.

Example 6: Effect of the Lactobacillus sakei Strain (KCCM111841P) on Fat Decomposition

[0081] In this example, the effect of the Lactobacillus sakei strain (KCCM11841P) on fat decomposition was examined. To this end, 1000 cc of pork fat was treated with 20-100 ml of culture solutions of the strain, followed by shaking at 37 C. for 24 h. This procedure was repeated for Lactobacillus plantarum as a control.

[0082] The results are shown in Table 2 and FIG. 3.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Lactobacillus sakei (KCCM11841P) Lactobacillus plantarum 20 ml 7% 3% 40 ml 13% 7% 60 ml 25% 11% 80 ml 32% 15% 100 ml 41% 18%

[0083] From these results, it can be concluded that the powder of the Lactobacillus sakei strain (KCCM11841P) is significantly effective in fat decomposition in proportion to the strain concentration compared to the other lactic acid bacterial species Lactobacillus plantarum.

Example 7: Effect of the Leuconostoc mesenteroides Strain (KCCM1827P) on Fat Decomposition

[0084] In this example, the effect of the Leuconostoc mesenteroides strain (KCCM11827P) on fat decomposition was examined. To this end, 1000 cc of pork fat was treated with 20-100 ml of culture solutions of the strain, followed by shaking at 37 C. for 24 h. This procedure was repeated for Lactobacillus plantarum as a control.

[0085] The results are shown in Table 3 and FIG. 4.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Leuconostoc mesenteroides (KCCM11827P) Lactobacillus plantarum 20 ml 8% 3% 40 ml 13% 5% 60 ml 27% 9% 80 ml 31% 11% 100 ml 37% 15%

[0086] From these results, it can be concluded that the powder of the Leuconostoc mesenteroides strain (KCCM11827P) is significantly effective in fat decomposition in proportion to the strain concentration compared to the other lactic acid bacterial species Lactobacillus plantarum.

Example 8: Preventive Effect of the Leuconostoc holzapfelii Strain Ceb-Kc-003 (KCCM11830P) on Hair Loss

[0087] The culture solution of the Leuconostoc holzapfelii strain Ceb-kc-003 (KCCM11830P) prepared in Example 1 at a concentration of 110.sup.6 to 110.sup.8 CFU/ml was administered orally to a total of 5 men aged 40-85 years and one woman who suffered from alopecia twice daily (50-100 ml each time) over 1-4 months.

[0088] The numbers of hairs lost were counted before and 10, 20, and 30 days after taking the strain. The patients were instructed to wash their hair before hair counting.

[0089] The experimental results are shown in Table 4.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Numbers of hairs lost before and after taking Subject Man at Man at Woman Men at Time age 45 age 52 at age 38 age 57 Before taking 60 hairs lost 43 hairs lost 74 hairs lost 23 hairs lost 10 days after 40 hairs lost 32 hairs lost 55 hairs lost 10 hairs lost taking 20 days after 22 hairs lost 15 hairs lost 23 hairs lost 4 hairs lost taking 30 days after 12 hairs lost 5 hairs lost 8 hairs lost 2 hairs lost taking

[0090] The hairs of the male patients before and at the predetermined time points after administration of the strain were photographed to measure their thicknesses, numbers, and glosses. Some of the results are shown in FIGS. 5-8.

[0091] These results indicate that the Leuconostoc holzapfelii strain Ceb-kc-003 (KCCM11830P) is effective in preventing hair loss and markedly improving the thickness, number, and gloss of hairs. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Leuconostoc holzapfelii strain Ceb-kc-003 (KCCM11830P) is effective in treating hair loss.

Example 9: Preventive Effect of the Leuconostoc mesenteroides Strain (KCCM11827P) on Hair Loss

[0092] The culture solution of the Leuconostoc mesenteroides strain (KCCM11827P) prepared in Example 2 at a concentration of 110.sup.6 to 110.sup.8 CFU/ml was administered orally to a woman aged 43 years, a man aged 60 years and a woman aged 49 years who suffered from alopecia twice daily (50-100 ml each time) over 1-3 months.

[0093] The numbers of hairs lost were counted before and 10, 20, and 30 days after taking the strain. The patients were instructed to wash their hair before hair counting.

[0094] The experimental results are shown in Table 5.

TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Numbers of hairs lost before and after taking Subject Man Time Woman at age 43 at age 60 Woman at age 49 Before taking 39 hairs lost 43 hairs lost 25 hairs lost 10 days after taking 35 hairs lost 32 hairs lost 21 hairs lost 20 days after taking 29 hairs lost 28 hairs lost 20 hairs lost 30 days after taking 21 hairs lost 16 hairs lost 12 hairs lost

[0095] The hairs of the patients before and at the predetermined time points after administration of the strain were photographed to measure their thicknesses, numbers, and glosses. Some of the results are shown in FIGS. 9-11.

[0096] These results indicate that the Leuconostoc mesenteroides strain (KCCM11827P) is effective in preventing hair loss and markedly improving the thickness, number, and gloss of hairs. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Leuconostoc holzapfelii strain Ceb-kc-003 (KCCM11830P) is effective in treating hair loss.

Example 10: Preventive Effect of the Lactobacillus sakei Strain (KCCM11841P) on Hair Loss

[0097] The culture solution of the Lactobacillus sakei strain (KCCM1841P) prepared in Example 3 at a concentration of 110.sup.6 to 110.sup.8 CFU/ml was administered orally to a man aged 52 years, a woman aged 42 years and a man aged 60 years who suffered from alopecia twice daily (50-100 ml each time) over 0.8-3 months.

[0098] The numbers of hairs lost were counted before and 10, 20, and 27 days after taking the strain. The patients were instructed to wash their hair before hair counting.

[0099] The experimental results are shown in Table 6.

TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Numbers of hairs lost before and after taking Subject Time Man at age 52 Woman at age 42 Man at age 60 Before taking 47 hairs lost 40 hairs lost 47 hairs lost 10 days after taking 40 hairs lost 32 hairs lost 37 hairs lost 20 days after taking 35 hairs lost 25 hairs lost 26 hairs lost 27 days after taking 30 hairs lost 24 hairs lost 16 hairs lost

[0100] The hairs of the patients before and at the predetermined time points after administration of the strain were photographed to determine whether the patients' scalps were improved and to measure the hair thicknesses, numbers, and glosses. Some of the results are shown in FIGS. 12-14.

[0101] These results indicate that the Lactobacillus sakei strain (KCCM11841P) is effective in preventing hair loss, improving the condition of scalp, and markedly improving the thickness, number, and gloss of hair. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Lactobacillus sakei strain (KCCM11841P) is effective in treating hair loss.

Example 11: Isolation and Identification of Lactobacillus fermentum Strain Ceb-Ch-002 (KCCM11910P)

[0102] (1) Sampling and Strain Isolation

[0103] A sample was taken from cheonggukjang, a Korean fermented soybean, diluted stepwise, plated on a BHI solid medium (Difco. USA) supplemented with 3% sodium chloride, and cultured at 37 C. for 24 h. A dominant strain was isolated from the sample. Colonies were selected and passaged three times in fresh media. The pure cultured bacterial strain was placed in a medium supplemented with 20% glycerol and stored at <70 C.

[0104] (2) Investigation of Morphological and Taxological Properties

[0105] The isolated strain was identified. To this end, the strain was primarily morphologically and biochemically investigated. The strain was found to be morphologically Gram-positive by Gram staining. The taxological properties of the strain were analyzed by 16s rRNA partial sequencing. As a result, the isolated strain was found to have a homology of 99% with Lactobacillus fermentum.

[0106] The newly isolated strain Leuconostoc fermentum Ceb-ch-002 was deposited with the Korean Culture Center of Microorganisms (120-861, Hongje-2ga-Gil, Seodaemun-Ku, Seoul, Korea) on Oct. 7, 2016 and assigned accession number KCCM11910P.

[0107] The strain was freeze-dried and powdered.

[0108] (3) Preparation of Culture Solution of the Strain

[0109] A culture solution of Lactobacillus fermentum (KCCM11910P) was prepared by the following procedure:

[0110] 2 kg of dextrose, 1.5 kg of whole milk powder, and 0.05 kg of an enzyme extract were added to 100 liters of purified water. The mixture was sterilized in an autoclave at 121 C. for 15-30 min and cooled to around 35 C. Thereafter, the sterile mixture was inoculated with 0.2-0.4 liters of Lactobacillus fermentum Ceb-ch-002, followed by culture at around 35 C. for 2-3 days.

Example 12: Effect of the Lactobacillus fermentum Strain Ceb-Ch-002 (KCCM11910P) on Reducing Cholesterol Levels

[0111] The effect of the powder of the Lactobacillus fermentum strain Ceb-ch-002 (KCCM11910P) on reducing cholesterol levels was examined. To this end, solutions of the freeze-dried powder of the Lactobacillus fermentum strain Ceb-ch-002 (KCCM11910P) (1-5 mg/ml) and solutions of a powder of Lactobacillus plantarum (1-5 mg/ml) as controls were used.

[0112] <Ability to Remove Cholesterol>

[0113] The ability of the strain to remove cholesterol was specifically measured by the following procedure.

[0114] 30 ml of an MRS culture ground was added to a 50 ml Falcon tube, inoculated with the test strain (glycerol stock) at a density of 110.sup.7 counts/ml, and cultured at 30 C. for 24 h, 300 l of the culture solution was added to 30 ml of an MRS culture ground containing 350 mg/L cholesterol (Wako Pure Chemical) and 0.2% bile acid (w/v). After culture at 37 C. for 24 h, the culture solution was subjected to centrifugal separation at 8.000 rpm and 4 C. for 10 min. The cholesterol level of the supernatant was measured using a Determiner FC (Kyowa Medex Co., Ltd.). The level (%) of cholesterol removed from the culture ground was calculated by subtracting the remaining cholesterol level from the initial cholesterol level of the cholesterol culture ground.

[0115] The results are shown in FIG. 19 and Table 7. This experiment was conducted in triplicate and the data were averaged.

TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 Lactobacillus fermentum Ceb-ch-002 (KCCM11910P) Lactobacillus plantarum 1 mg/ml 21% 11% 2 mg/ml 27% 16% 3 mg/ml 39% 22% 4 mg/ml 51% 31% 5 mg/ml 62% 35%

Example 13: Effect of Combination of the Leuconostoc mesenteroides Strain (KCCM11827P) and the Lactobacillus fermentum Strain Ceb-Ch-002 (KCCM11910P) on Hair Loss

[0116] The culture solution of the Leuconostoc mesenteroides strain (KCCM11827P) prepared in Example 2 at a concentration of 0.510.sup.6 to 0.510.sup.8 CFU/ml was combined with the culture solution of the Lactobacillus fermentum strain (KCCM11910P) prepared in Example 3 at a concentration of 0.510.sup.6 to 0.510.sup.8 CFU/ml. The combination of the two strain culture solutions was administered orally to a man aged 56 and a man aged 55 who suffered from alopecia twice (50-100 ml each time) daily over 1-3 months.

[0117] The numbers of hairs lost were counted before and 10, 20, and 40 days after taking the strains. The patients were instructed to wash their hair before hair counting.

[0118] The experimental results are shown in Table 8.

TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 Numbers of hairs lost before and after taking Subject Time Man at age 56 Man at age 55 Before taking 40 hairs lost 50 hairs lost 10 days after taking 34 hairs lost 42 hairs lost 20 days after taking 26 hairs lost 28 hairs lost 40 days after taking 14 hairs lost 11 hairs lost

[0119] The hairs of the patients before and at the predetermined time points after administration of the strains were photographed to measure their thicknesses, numbers, and glosses. Some of the results are shown in FIGS. 15-16.

[0120] These results indicate that the combination of the Leuconostoc mesenteroides strain (KCCM11827P) and the Lactobacillus fermentum strain (KCCM11910P) is particularly effective in preventing hair loss and markedly improving the thickness, number, and gloss of hairs. Therefore, it can be concluded that the combined administration of the two strains is effective in treating hair loss compared to single administration of the Leuconostoc mesenteroides strain (KCCM11827P).

Example 14: Preventive Effect of Combination of the Lactobacillus sakei Strain (KCCM11841P) and the Lactobacillus fermentum Strain Ceb-Ch-002 (KCCM11910P) on Hair Loss

[0121] The culture solution of the Lactobacillus sakei strain (KCCM11841P) prepared in Example 3 at a concentration of 0.510.sup.6 to 0.5, 10.sup.8 CFU/ml was combined with the culture solution of the Lactobacillus fermentum strain (KCCM11910P) prepared in Example 9 at a concentration of 0.510.sup.6 to 0.510.sup.8 CFU/ml. The combination of the two strain culture solutions was administered orally to a man aged 28 and a man aged 54 who suffered from alopecia twice (50-100 ml each time) daily over 1-3 months.

[0122] The numbers of hairs lost were counted before and 10, 20, and 40 days after taking the strains. The patients were instructed to wash their hair before hair counting.

[0123] The experimental results are shown in Table 9.

TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 9 Numbers of hairs lost before and after taking Subject Time Man at age 28 Man at age 54 Before taking 43 hairs lost 51 hairs lost 10 days after taking 24 hairs lost 41 hairs lost 20 days after taking 14 hairs lost 30 hairs lost 40 days after taking 9 hairs lost 14 hairs lost

[0124] The hairs of the patients before and at the predetermined time points after administration of the strains were photographed to measure their thicknesses, numbers, and glosses. Some of the results are shown in FIGS. 17-18.