Hepatoprotective and Anti-fatigue Effects of Lactic Acid Bacteria (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Streptococcus thermophilus)

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of LAB (Lactic acid bacteria: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Streptococcus thermophilus) on detoxication of damaged liver in carbon tetrachloride (<TEX>$CCl_4$</TEX>) and ethanol (25%)-treated rats. Rats had been daily (twice a day) pre-treated with saline (0.5 ml/kg: untreated group), <TEX>$CCl_4$</TEX> (0.5 ml/kg: other groups) for 6 days. At seventh day, after treating rat with <TEX>$CCl_4$</TEX> and then, mixture of LAB (<TEX>$10^{11}$</TEX>/0.5 ml: LAB group), saline (0.5 ml/kg: untreated group, <TEX>$CCl_4$</TEX> group), and biphenyl dimethyl dicarboxylate (DDB) (50 mg/kg: DDB group) were treated orally with <TEX>$CCl_4$</TEX> for 8 days. Ethanol is treated as the same manner instead of <TEX>$CCl_4$</TEX>. To investigate the hepatoprotective effect, rats treated with <TEX>$CCl_4$</TEX> and ethanol were analyzed with serum GOT and GPT level. The GOT and GPT levels of LAB group was lower than the level of <TEX>$CCl_4$</TEX> and DDB group. Especially, compared with data of <TEX>$CCl_4$</TEX> group, GPT activity showed statistically significant result in the significance level of p < 0.05. The LAB group treated with ethanol also showed lower level of GOT and GPT than the other control groups treated with ethanol. The triglyceride level of serum decreased more in a group treated special materials (DDB and LAB group) than ethanol group. As well, the effect of LAB on the antifatigue has been investigated. The animals (10/group) were divided into 4 groups (untreated group, Carrier group, Red-ginseng group, LAB group). Each group was given carrier (0.9 mg/0.2 ml), red ginseng extract (200 mg/kg), and mixture of LAB (<TEX>$10^{11}$</TEX>/0.2 ml). Special materials were given for three weeks. After finishing treating through oral, horizontal wire test, rotarod test, and forced swimming test were performed. The time of resistance to fatigue of the group, fed with mixture of LAB, was longer than the time when mice treated with red-ginseng that the effect was already revealed. The result of this study revealed that LAB could decrease hepatocelluar injury compared with rats treated orally with <TEX>$CCl_4$</TEX> and ethanol, and could also decrease fatigue.