Probiotic Mixture of Lactobacillus plantarum Strains Improves Lipid Metabolism and Gut Microbiota Structure in High Fat Diet-Fed Mice

Huizhen Li; Fei Liu; Jingjing Lu; Jialu Shi; Jiaqi Guan; Fenfen Yan; Bailiang Li; Guicheng Huo

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.00512

Probiotic Mixture of Lactobacillus plantarum Strains Improves Lipid Metabolism and Gut Microbiota Structure in High Fat Diet-Fed Mice

Front Microbiol. 2020 Mar 26:11:512. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00512. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Huizhen Li^{1

2}, Fei Liu¹, Jingjing Lu^{1

2}, Jialu Shi^{1

2}, Jiaqi Guan^{1

2}, Fenfen Yan^{1

2}, Bailiang Li^{1

2}, Guicheng Huo^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Dairy Science, Ministry of Education, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China.
² College of Food, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China.

Abstract

The global prevalence of obesity is rising year by year, which has become a public health problem worldwide. In recent years, animal studies and clinical studies have shown that some lactic acid bacteria possess an anti-obesity effect. In our previous study, mixed lactobacilli (Lactobacillus plantarum KLDS1.0344 and Lactobacillus plantarum KLDS1.0386) exhibited anti-obesity effects in vivo by significantly reducing body weight gain, Lee's index and body fat rate; however, its underlying mechanisms of action remain unclear. Therefore, the present study aims to explore the possible mechanisms for the inhibitory effect of mixed lactobacilli on obesity. C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into three groups including control group (Control), high fat diet group (HFD) and mixed lactobacilli group (MX), and fed daily for eight consecutive weeks. The results showed that mixed lactobacilli supplementation significantly improved blood lipid levels and liver function, and alleviated liver oxidative stress. Moreover, the mixed lactobacilli supplementation significantly inhibited lipid accumulation in the liver and regulated lipid metabolism in epididymal fat pads. Notably, the mixed lactobacilli treatment modulated the gut microbiota, resulting in a significant increase in acetic acid and butyric acid. Additionally, Spearman's correlation analysis found that several specific genera were significantly correlated with obesity-related indicators. These results indicated that the mixed lactobacilli supplementation could manipulate the gut microbiota and its metabolites (acetic acid and butyric acid), resulting in reduced liver lipid accumulation and improved lipid metabolism of adipose tissue, which inhibited obesity.

Keywords: Lactobacillus plantarum; gut microbiota; lipid accumulation; lipid metabolisim; obesity; short chain fatty acids.