Hyperhomocysteinemia and the effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG on cardiac functions in CBS+/− mice

Abstract

Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is one of the prominent risk factors for precipitating adverse cardiac events. Among the known causes, dysregulated homocysteine (Hcy) metabolism especially during dietary deficiency of the vitamins ‘B’ complex is a key cause of HHcy in susceptible population. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG is a widely used probiotic, and its salutary effects have been extensively documented on host metabolism. The main objective of this study was to investigate the role of HHcy on cardiovascular dysfunction and the effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG on Hcy metabolism. In this study, CBS+/− mice representing HHcy and C57BL/6J (wild type; WT) were administered orally Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG @ 2.5×105 CFU once daily for 12 weeks. The animal groups were: Group‐I: WT + regular chow diet, Group‐II: WT + regular chow diet + Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Group‐III: CBS+/− + High Methionine Diet (HMD), and Group‐IV: CBS+/− + HMD + Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. In CBS+/− + HMD mice, angiography revealed reduced coronary vascularity and impaired cardiac functions which were improved with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG treatment. Further experimentations on isolated adult cardiomyocytes from the CBS+/− + HMD + Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG lent credible support to the observed beneficial effects of the probiotic on cardiac functions. In addition, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG administration reduced HHcy‐induced oxidative and ER stress levels in the CBS+/− + HMD mice that were revealed via expression analyses of the key marker proteins in the cardiac tissues of probiotic treated mice groups. Our findings indicated that Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG administration helped mitigate the adverse cardiac effects as induced by chronic HHcy environment.Support or Funding InformationThe work was supported by grants from the National Institute of Health (HL‐74815, HL‐139047, and AR071789).This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.