Protective effects of Lactobacillus plantarum against chronic alcohol-induced liver injury in the murine model

• Published in: Applied microbiology and biotechnology 2019-10, Vol.103 (20), p.8597-8608
• Main Authors: Fang, Tony J., Guo, Jiun-Ting, Lin, Ming-Kuem, Lee, Meng-Shiou, Chen, Yen-Lien, Lin, Wen-Hsin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Alanine; Alanine transaminase; Alanine Transaminase - blood; Alcohol; Alcohol Drinking - adverse effects; Alcoholic beverages; Alcohols; Animal models; Animals; Applied Microbial and Cell Physiology; Aspartate; Aspartate aminotransferase; Aspartate Aminotransferases - blood; Biological effects; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Cholesterol; Cytokines; Cytokines - blood; Disease Models, Animal; Drinking of alcoholic beverages; Endotoxemia; Endotoxins; Endotoxins - blood; Enzymes; Fatty liver; Gastrointestinal system; Gastrointestinal tract; Glutathione; Hepatitis; IL-1β; Inflammation; Injury prevention; Intestine; Lactobacillus plantarum; Lactobacillus plantarum - growth & development; Life Sciences; Lipids; Lipids - blood; Liver; Liver diseases; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic - pathology; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic - prevention & control; Malondialdehyde; Mice; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; Microbiota; Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms); Oral administration; Oxidation; Oxidative stress; Placebos - administration & dosage; Plant protection; Probiotics; Probiotics - administration & dosage; Superoxide; Superoxide dismutase; Treatment Outcome; Triglycerides; Tumor necrosis factor-α; Zonula occludens-1 protein
• ISSN: 0175-7598; 1432-0614
• DOI: 10.1007/s00253-019-10122-8

Long-term alcohol consumption causes liver injuries such as alcoholic hepatitis, fatty liver, and endotoxemia. Some probiotics were demonstrated to exert beneficial effects in the gastrointestinal tract. The present study was aimed to evaluate the protective effects of Lactobacillus plantarum CMU995 against alcohol-induced liver injury. The mice were orally administered L. plantarum CMU995 for 1 week, followed by the administration of alcohol and different tested substances daily for 6 weeks. The liver injury was examined by measuring the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), malondialdehyde (MDA), anti-oxidative enzyme, endotoxin, inflammatory cytokines, and lipid accumulation in the liver or serum among different groups. L. plantarum CMU995 exhibited beneficial effects on alcohol-induced liver injury via reduction in the serum concentration of AST, ALT, cholesterol, triglycerides, endotoxin, TNF-α, IL-1β, and oxidative stress. Furthermore, we also found that the levels of glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and intestinal tight junction protein zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) were considerably higher in L. plantarum CMU995-fed groups when compared with placebo group. Meanwhile, the protective effects were demonstrated biological gradients as controversial dose-dependent. We speculate that L. plantarum CMU995 inhibited the migration of alcohol-derived endotoxin into the blood and liver, thereby improving the intestinal barrier. The present evidence may provide a novel microbiota-based strategy to prevent the alcohol-induced liver injury.