Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a group of conditions with excess fat accumulation in the liver which is not caused by excess alcohol intake. The most common form of NAFLD is fatty liver and another more serious form of NAFLD is non-alcoh...
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a group of conditions with excess fat accumulation in the liver which is not caused by excess alcohol intake. The most common form of NAFLD is fatty liver and another more serious form of NAFLD is non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) in which liver cell inflammation is accompanied by fatty liver. It has been revealed that gut microbiota composition is associated with the development of NAFLD, and therefore, the modification of gut microbiota compostion through the application of probiotics is considered as a novel therapeutic approach for the management of NAFLD. However, safety concerns of using probiotics have been raised. Paraprobiotics are defined as “inactivated microbial cells (non-viable) that confer a health benefit to the consumer. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different types of paraprobiotics and corresponding probiotics on hepatic steatosis in high-fat fed mouse model.
7-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were randomyly divided into 5 groups; LFD(low fat diet), HFD(high fat diet), LIVE(high fat diet+live Lactobacillus paracasei CH88), HEAT(high fat diet+heat-killed Lactobacillus paracasei CH88), LYSOZYME(high fat diet+lysozyme-treated and then sonicated Lactobacillus paracasei CH88). LFD and HFD group received sterilized PBS, LIVE group received Lactobacillus paracasei CH88 dissolved in sterilized PBS. HEAT group and LYSOZYME group received heat-killed L.paracasei CH88 and lysozyme-treated L.paracasei CH88 dissolved in sterilized PBS. Each samples were orally administered every other day for 4 weeks followed by daily administration for another 16 weeks.
Body weight was significantly increased in HFD fed groups compared to LFD group, however, there was no statistical difference between high fat diet fed groups. Liver weight was significantly higher in the HFD group compared to the LFD group. LYSOZYME group showed significantly lower liver weight compared to the HFD group. Histopathological analysis showed HFD group had higher NAFLD activity score than LFD group, while LYSOZYME group exhibited lower score than the HFD group. LYSOZYME group showed higher expressions of gut junction protein, occludin, compared to HFD group. CB1, the endocannabinoid receptor, a homeostatic regulator of energy metabolism in the body, was significantly increased in the HFD group compared to that of the LFD group and LYSOZYME treatment lowered the expression of CB1. The expression levels of the fatty acid oxidation related genes (AMPK/SIRT1/PPARa/CPT2) were upregulated in LYSOZYME group compared to those of the HFD group. Also, LYSOZYME group showed lower expressions of fatty acid uptake protein (CD36, FABP4) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, MCP-1) compared to those of HFD group. The LYSOZYME group showed significantly lower expression of FXR compared to the HFD group and higher expression of CYP7A1, bile acid biosynthesis enzyme, compared to the HFD group. Fecal microbiota composition showed that the proportion of Firmicutes known as obesity-related bacteria phylum significantly increased in HFD group compared to LFD group, but tended to decrease in the LYSOZYME group compared to that of the HFD group. In conclusion, lysozyme-treated L. paracasei CH88 paraprobiotics may improve NALFD through modulation of gut permeability, endocannabinoid system, lipid metabolism, bile acid metabolism and gut microbiota.