Objective: To explore the effects of probiotics on levels of inflammatory factors and oxidative stress markers in children with allergic asthma. Methods: A total of 62 children diagnosed with allergic asthma at the asthma outpatient department of the First Hospital of Nanjing from Feb. 2016 to Dec. 2019 were randomly divided into the control group and observation group

with 31 cases in each group. The control group received routine anti-asthmatic treatment

while the observation group was given oral probiotics based on the control group. The children’s asthma control test (C-ACT) was used to compare the asthma control effects before and after treatment in both groups. The forced expiratory volume at one second ( FEV1)

FEV1 / forced vital capacity ( FVC)

and peak expiratory flow (PEF) were recorded. The levels of interleukin-4 ( IL-4)

interferon-γ ( IFN-γ)

malondialdehyde ( MDA)

superoxide dismutase ( SOD) and reduced glutathione (GSH) in the serum were measured. Results: Before treatment

there were no significant differences in asthma control effects

FVC

FEV1

PEF

IL-4

IFN-γ

MDA

SOD and GSH levels between two groups (P>0. 05). After treatment

both groups showed significant improvements in asthma control effects

FVC

FEV1 and PEF compared with those before treatment

and the observation group was better than the control group (P<0. 05). The IL-4 and MDA levels in both groups decreased significantly after treatment

with a more significant decrease in the observation group compared with the control group (P<0. 05). The levels of IFN-γ

SOD and GSH in both groups increased significantly after treatment

with a more significant increase in the observation group compared with the control group (P<0. 05). Conclusion: Probiotic supplementation can improve asthma control effects and pulmonary function in children with allergic asthma

reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory factors and oxidative stress markers

and increase the expression levels of anti-inflammatory factors and antioxidants. Therefore

probiotics may potentially serve as the adjunctive treatment for asthma by modulating anti-inflammatory and antioxidant mechanisms.