Abstract
We have previously described the safety and immunomodulatory effects of Lactobacillus paracasei CNCM I-4034, Bifidobacterium breve CNCM I-4035 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus CNCM I-4036 in healthy volunteers. The scope of this work was to evaluate the effects of these probiotic strains on the hepatic steatosis of obese rats. We used the Zucker rat as a genetic model of obesity. Zucker-Leprfa/fa rats received one of three probiotic strains, a mixture of L. paracasei CNCM I-4034 and B. breve CNCM I-4035, or a placebo for 30 days. An additional group of Zucker-lean+/fa rats received a placebo for 30 days. No alterations in intestinal histology, in the epithelial, lamina propria, muscular layers of the ileal or colonic mucosa, or the submucosae, were observed in any of the experimental groups. Triacylglycerol content decreased in the liver of Zucker-Leprfa/fa rats that were fed L. rhamnosus, B. breve, or the mixture of B. breve and L. paracasei. Likewise, the area corresponding to neutral lipids was significantly smaller in the liver of all four groups of Zucker-Leprfa/fa rats that received probiotics than in rats fed the placebo. Zucker-Leprfa/fa rats exhibited significantly greater serum LPS levels than Zucker-lean+/fa rats upon administration of placebo for 30 days. In contrast, all four groups of obese Zucker-Leprfa/fa rats that received LAB strains exhibited serum LPS concentrations similar to those of Zucker-lean+/fa rats. Serum TNF-α levels decreased in the Zucker-Leprfa/fa rats that received B. breve, L. rhamnosus, or the mixture, whereas L. paracasei feeding decreased IL-6 levels in the serum of Zucker-Leprfa/fa rats. In conclusion, the probiotic strains reduced hepatic steatosis in part by lowering serum LPS, and had an anti-inflammatory effect in obese Zucker rats.
Highlights
Obesity has reached pandemic levels and is becoming a serious health problem worldwide
These strains were selected based on their probiotic properties, such as adhesion to intestinal mucus, sensitivity to antibiotics and resistance to biliary salts and low pH. We identified these strains as Lactobacillus paracasei Collection Nationale de Cultures de Microorganismes (CNCM) I-4034, Bifidobacterium breve CNCM I-4035, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus CNCM I-4036 [19]
Zucker-Leprfa/fa rats exhibited severe signs of insulin resistance syndrome (IRS) at the end of the intervention period the body weights of Zucker-Leprfa/fa (n = 8) and Zucker-lean+/fa rats (n = 8) were initially similar (179.9 g62.2 g vs. 168.9 g64.9 g, respectively, P.0.3), the Zucker-Leprfa/fa rats were clearly obese after 30 days of feeding with the placebo (Zucker-Leprfa/fa (n = 8) 294.4 g65.7 g vs. Zucker-lean+/fa (n = 8) 241.5 g65.6 g, P,0.001)
Summary
Obesity has reached pandemic levels and is becoming a serious health problem worldwide. The prevalence of obesity has tripled over the last 20 years owing to the adoption of a Western lifestyle (i.e., low physical activity levels, sedentariness, and excessive eating) [1,2]. Approximately 90% of T2D cases are attributable to excess body weight, and 200 million people worldwide are estimated to have glucose intolerance and insulin resistance syndrome (IRS), a figure that is expected to rise to 420 million by the year 2025 [3]. Recent evidence indicates that the intestinal microbiota plays a crucial role in body weight and fat mass [4,5,6], and, suggests an association between the gut microbiota and T2D [7,8,9]. Probiotics can modulate the gut microbiota and the mucosal immune system [14,15,16]
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