Lactobacillus fermentum promotes adipose tissue oxidative phosphorylation to protect against diet-induced obesity

Impact of Lactobacillaceae supplementation on the multi-organ axis during MASLD

The gut-liver axis plays a pivotal role in maintaining body homeostasis. Disruption of the gut-liver axis is linked to a multitude of diseases, including metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Probiotic strains from the Lactobacillaceae family are commonly used to mitigate experimental MASLD. Over the years, numerous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of these probiotics, often focusing on the outcome of liver disease. This review aims to further understand MASLD as a systemic metabolic dysfunction and to highlight the effects of probiotics on multi-organ axis, including organs such as the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, muscle, adipose tissue, and the immune system. We specifically discuss evidence on how supplementation with Lactobacillaceae strains may alleviate MASLD by not only restoring liver health but also by modulating the physiology of other organ systems.

Deciphering the interplay of gut microbiota and metabolomics in retinal vein occlusion

This study aims to explore the link between retinal vein occlusion (RVO), a blinding ocular condition, and alterations in gut microbiota composition, to offer insights into the pathogenesis of RVO. Fecal samples from 25 RVO patients and 11 non-RVO individuals were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Significant differences in the abundance of gut microbial species were noted between RVO and non-RVO groups. At the phylum level, the RVO group showed an elevation in the ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes. At the genus level, the RVO group showed higher abundance in Escherichia_Shigella (P < 0.05) and less abundance in Parabacteroides (P < 0.01) than the non-RVO group. Functional predictions indicated reduced folate synthesis, biotin metabolism, and oxidative phosphorylation, with an increase in butyric acid metabolism in the RVO group. LC-MS analysis showed significant differences in purine metabolism, ABC transporters, and naphthalene degradation pathways, especially purine metabolism. Pearson correlation analysis revealed significant associations between bacterial genera and fecal metabolites. Enrichment analysis highlighted connections between specific metabolites and bacterial genera. The findings showed that the dysregulation of gut microbiota was observed in RVO patients, suggesting the gut microbiota as a potential therapeutic target. Modulating the gut microbiota could be a novel strategy for managing RVO and improving patient outcomes. Furthermore, the study findings suggest the involvement of gut microbial dysbiosis in RVO development, underscoring the significance of understanding its pathogenesis for effective treatment development.

IMPORTANCE

Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is a blinding ocular condition, and understanding its pathogenesis is crucial for developing effective treatments. This study demonstrates significant differences in gut microbiota composition between RVO patients and non-RVO individuals, implicating the involvement of gut microbial dysbiosis in RVO development. Functional predictions and metabolic profiling provide insights into the underlying mechanisms, highlighting potential pathways for therapeutic intervention. These findings suggest that modulating the gut microbiota might be a promising strategy for managing RVO and improving patient outcomes.

A Mixture of Lactobacillus HY7601 and KY1032 Regulates Energy Metabolism in Adipose Tissue and Improves Cholesterol Disposal in High-Fat-Diet-Fed Mice

We aimed to characterize the anti-obesity and anti-atherosclerosis effects of Lactobacillus curvatus HY7601 and Lactobacillus plantarum KY1032 using high-fat diet (HFD)-fed obese C57BL/6 mice. We divided the mice into control (CON), HFD, HFD with 108 CFU/kg/day probiotics (HFD + KL, HY7301:KY1032 = 1:1), and HFD with 109 CFU/kg/day probiotics (HFD + KH, HY7301:KY1032 = 1:1) groups and fed/treated them during 7 weeks. The body mass, brown adipose tissue (BAT), inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT), and epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) masses and the total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were remarkably lower in probiotic-treated groups than in the HFD group in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, the expression of uncoupling protein 1 in the BAT, iWAT, and eWAT was significantly higher in probiotic-treated HFD mice than in the HFD mice, as demonstrated by immunofluorescence staining and Western blotting. We also measured the expression of cholesterol transport genes in the liver and jejunum and found that the expression of those encoding liver-X-receptor α, ATP-binding cassette transporters G5 and G8, and cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase were significantly higher in the HFD + KH mice than in the HFD mice. Thus, a Lactobacillus HY7601 and KY1032 mixture with 109 CFU/kg/day concentration can assist with body weight regulation through the management of lipid metabolism and thermogenesis.

The anti-inflammatory activity of probiotic Dadiah to activate Sirtuin-1 in inhibiting diabetic nephropathy progression

Purpose

The activation of SIRT-1 in the kidney has become a new therapeutic target to increase resistance to many causal factors in DN development. Furthermore, antioxidative stress and anti-inflammation are essential to preventing renal fibrosis in DN. Therefore, finding "probiotic products" to treat and prevent DN is necessary. This study aimed to analyze the anti-inflammatory of probiotic dadiah to activate SIRT-1 in inhibiting DN progression.

Methods

This study is an experimental group designed with a post-test-only control group to observe the effect of dadiah, LAB, and bacteriocin on alloxan-induced nephropathy diabetic rats through two control groups and five intervention groups for eight weeks. The expression of antibodies SIRT-1 and TNF-α was examined using Immunohistochemistry and histopathology of kidney tissue. All data were analyzed using ANOVA test.

Results

The treatment of dadiah, lactic acid bacteria, and bacteriocin showed a higher expression of Sirtuin-1 than the positive control. They also, reduce TNF-α expression varies significantly between treatments. The highest average of interstitial fibrosis in the C + groups was substantially different from all groups, but all treatments showed decreased kidney fibrosis. Although all treatments showed a decrease in interstitial kidney fibrosis found in the control group, the treatment using dadiah showed the highest result.

Conclusions

Dadiah has the potential to the prevention of fibrosis on kidney tissue of alloxan-induced nephropathy diabetic rats. The findings could be to develop novel treatments for DN that aim to reduce the cascade of oxidative stress and inflammatory signals in kidney tissue.

Layer-Specific BTX-A Delivery to the Gastric Muscularis Achieves Effective Weight Control and Metabolic Improvement

The rising incidence of health-endangering obesity constantly calls for more effective treatments. Gastric intramural injection of botulinum neurotoxin A (BTX-A) as a new modality carries great promise yet inconsistent therapeutic efficacy. A layer-specific delivery strategy enabled by dissolving microneedles is hence pioneered to investigate the working site of BTX-A and the resulting therapeutic effects. The drug-loaded tips of the layer-specific gastric paralysis microneedles (LGP-MN) rapidly release and achieve uniform distribution of BTX-A within the designated gastric wall layers. In an obesity rat model, the LGP-MNs not only prove safer than conventional injection, but also demonstrate consistently better therapeutic effects with muscular layer delivery, including 16.23% weight loss (3.06-fold enhancement from conventional injection), 55.20% slower gastric emptying rate, improved liver steatosis, lowered blood lipids, and healthier gut microbiota. Further hormonal study reveals that the elevated production of stomach-derived glucagon-like peptide-1 due to the muscularis-targeting LGP-MN treatment is an important contributor to its unique glucose tolerance-improving effect. This study provides clear indication of the gastric muscularis as the most favorable working site of BTX-A for weight loss and metabolic improvement purposes, and meanwhile suggests that the LGP-MNs could serve as a novel clinical approach to treat obesity and metabolic syndromes.

Potential anti-ageing effects of probiotic-derived conditioned media on human skin cells

In this study, the protective functions of bacteria-free conditioned media from Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus species against ultraviolet radiation-induced skin ageing and associated cellular damage were investigated. The effects of ultraviolet radiation-induced reactive oxygen species production were suppressed by all conditioned media; particularly, the loss of cell viability and downregulation of collagen gene expression were significantly reversed by the conditioned media from B. longum and B. lactis. Further exa mination of potential anti-pigmentation effects revealed that the B. lactis-derived conditioned media significantly inhibited tyrosinase activity and alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone-induced melanin production in human epidermal melanocytes. Further, the conditioned media suppressed the phosphorylation of extracellular signal- related kinase, which functions as an upstream regulator of melanogenesis. Therefore, B. lactis-derived conditioned media can potentially protect against cellular damage involved in skin-ageing processes.

Probiotic Mechanisms Affecting Glucose Homeostasis: A Scoping Review

The maintenance of a healthy status depends on the coexistence between the host organism and the microbiota. Early studies have already focused on the nutritional properties of probiotics, which may also contribute to the structural changes in the gut microbiota, thereby affecting host metabolism and homeostasis. Maintaining homeostasis in the body is therefore crucial and is reflected at all levels, including that of glucose, a simple sugar molecule that is an essential fuel for normal cellular function. Despite numerous clinical studies that have shown the effect of various probiotics on glucose and its homeostasis, knowledge about the exact function of their mechanism is still scarce. The aim of our review was to select in vivo and in vitro studies in English published in the last eleven years dealing with the effects of probiotics on glucose metabolism and its homeostasis. In this context, diverse probiotic effects at different organ levels were highlighted, summarizing their potential mechanisms to influence glucose metabolism and its homeostasis. Variations in results due to different methodological approaches were discussed, as well as limitations, especially in in vivo studies. Further studies on the interactions between probiotics, host microorganisms and their immunity are needed.

Cannabidiol-Treated Ovariectomized Mice Show Improved Glucose, Energy, and Bone Metabolism With a Bloom in Lactobacillus

Loss of ovarian 17β-estradiol (E2) in postmenopause is associated with gut dysbiosis, inflammation, and increased risk of cardiometabolic disease and osteoporosis. The risk-benefit profile of hormone replacement therapy is not favorable in postmenopausal women therefore better treatment options are needed. Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotropic phytocannabinoid extracted from hemp, has shown pharmacological activities suggesting it has therapeutic value for postmenopause, which can be modeled in ovariectomized (OVX) mice. We evaluated the efficacy of cannabidiol (25 mg/kg) administered perorally to OVX and sham surgery mice for 18 weeks. Compared to VEH-treated OVX mice, CBD-treated OVX mice had improved oral glucose tolerance, increased energy expenditure, improved whole body areal bone mineral density (aBMD) and bone mineral content as well as increased femoral bone volume fraction, trabecular thickness, and volumetric bone mineral density. Compared to VEH-treated OVX mice, CBD-treated OVX mice had increased relative abundance of fecal Lactobacillus species and several gene expression changes in the intestine and femur consistent with reduced inflammation and less bone resorption. These data provide preclinical evidence supporting further investigation of CBD as a therapeutic for postmenopause-related disorders.

Therapeutic and Improving Function of Lactobacilli in the Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular-Related Diseases: A Novel Perspective From Gut Microbiota

The occurrence and development of cardiovascular-related diseases are associated with structural and functional changes in gut microbiota (GM). The accumulation of beneficial gut commensals contributes to the improvement of cardiovascular-related diseases. The cardiovascular-related diseases that can be relieved by Lactobacillus supplementation, including hypercholesterolemia, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, heart failure, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and obesity, have expanded. As probiotics, lactobacilli occupy a substantial part of the GM and play important functional roles through various GM-derived metabolites. Lactobacilli ultimately have a beneficial impact on lipid metabolism, inflammatory factors, and oxidative stress to relieve the symptoms of cardiovascular-related diseases. However, the axis and cellular process of gut commensal Lactobacillus in improving cardiovascular-related diseases have not been fully elucidated. Additionally, Lactobacillus strains produce diverse antimicrobial peptides, which help maintain intestinal homeostasis and ameliorate cardiovascular-related diseases. These strains are a field that needs to be further investigated immediately. Thus, this review demonstrated the mechanisms and summarized the evidence of the benefit of Lactobacillus strain supplementation from animal studies and human clinical trials. We also highlighted a broad range of lactobacilli candidates with therapeutic capability by mining their metabolites. Our study provides instruction in the development of lactobacilli as a functional food to improve cardiovascular-related diseases.

Lactobacillus plantarum ATG-K2 and ATG-K6 Ameliorates High-Fat with High-Fructose Induced Intestinal Inflammation

Obesity has become a worldwide health problem, and many significant inflammatory markers have been associated with the risk of side effects of obesity and obesity-related diseases. After a normal diet or high-fat diet with high-fructose water (HFHF) for 8 weeks, male Wistar rats were divided randomly into four experimental groups according to body weight. Next, for 8 weeks, a normal diet, HFHF diet, and HFHF diet with L. plantarum strains ATG-K2 or ATG-K6 were administered orally. Compared to the control group, the HFHF diet group showed significantly increased visceral fat, epididymal fat, and liver weight. The mRNA and protein expression levels of FAS and SREBP-1c were higher in the HFHF diet group than in the HFHF diet with L. plantarum strains ATG-K2 and ATG-K6. The HFHF diet with L. plantarum strain ATG-K2 showed significantly decreased inflammatory cytokine expression in the serum and small intestine compared to the HFHF diet group. Furthermore, histological morphology showed minor cell injury, less severe infiltration, and longer villi height in the small intestine ileum of the HFHF diet with L. plantarum strains groups than in the HFHF diet group. These results suggest that L. plantarum strains K2 and K6 may help reduce intestinal inflammation and could be used as treatment alternatives for intestinal inflammatory reactions and obesity.