Apoptosis is recognized as a predictor of adverse outcomes in subjects with cardiac diseases. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of probiotic-fermented purple sweet potato yogurt (PSPY) with high γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content on cardiac apoptosis in spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) hearts. The rats were orally adminsitered with 2 different concentrations of PSPY (10 and 100%) or captopril, 15.6 mg/kg, body weight (BW)/day. The control group was administered distilled water. DAPI and TUNEL staining were used to detect the numbers of apoptotic cells. A decrease in the number of TUNEL-positive cardiac myocytes was observed in the SHR-PSPY (10 and 100%) groups. In addition, the levels of key components of the Fas receptor- and mitochondrial-dependent apoptotic pathways were determined by western blot analysis. The results revealed that the levels of the key components of the Fas receptor- and mitochondrial-dependent apoptotic pathway were significantly decreased in the SHR-captopril, and 10 and 100% PSPY groups. Additionally, the levels of phosphorylated insulin-like growth factor‑I receptor (p-IGF‑IR) were increased in SHR hearts from the SHR-control group; however, no recovery in the levels of downstream signaling components was observed. In addition, the levels of components of the compensatory IGF-IR-dependent survival pathway (p-PI3K and p-Akt) were all highly enhanced in the left ventricles in the hearts form the SHR-10 and 100% PSPY groups. Therefore, the oral administration of PSPY may attenuate cardiomyocyte apoptosis in SHR hearts by activating IGF‑IR-dependent survival signaling pathways.
High-fat diets induce obesity, leading to cardiomyocyte fibrosis and autophagy imbalance. In addition, no previous studies have indicated that probiotics have potential health effects associated with cardiac fibrosis and autophagy in obese rats.This study investigates the effects of probiotics on high-fat (HF) diet-induced obesity and cardiac fibrosis and autophagy in rat hearts. Eight-week-old male Wistar rats were separated randomly into five equally sized experimental groups: Normal diet (control) and high-fat (HF) diet groups and groups fed a high-fat diet supplemented with low (HL), medium (HM) or high (HH) doses of multi-strain probiotic powders. These experiments were designed for an 8-week trial period. The myocardial architecture of the left ventricle was evaluated using Masson's trichrome staining and immunohistochemistry staining. Key probiotics-related pathway molecules were analyzed using western blotting. Abnormal myocardial architecture and enlarged interstitial spaces were observed in HF hearts. These interstitial spaces were significantly decreased in groups provided with multi-strain probiotics compared with HF hearts. Western blot analysis demonstrated that key components of the TGF/MMP2/MMP9 fibrosis pathways and ERK5/uPA/ANP cardiac hypertrophy pathways were significantly suppressed in probiotic groups compared to the HF group. Autophagy balance is very important in cardiomyocytes. In this study, we observed that the beclin-1/LC3B/Atg7 autophagy pathway in HF was increased after probiotic supplementation was significantly decreased. Together, these results suggest that oral administration of probiotics may attenuate cardiomyocyte fibrosis and cardiac hypertrophy and the autophagy-signaling pathway in obese rats.
Cardiovascular hypertrophy is a common feature of hypertension and an important risk factor for heart damage. The regression of cardiovascular hypertrophy is currently considered an important therapeutic target in reducing the omplications of hypertension. The aim of this study was to investigate the inhibition of cardiac hypertrophy by probiotic-fermented purple sweet potato yogurt (PSPY) with high γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content in spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) hearts. Six-week-old male SHRs were separated randomly and equally into 4 experimental groups: sterile water, captopril and 2 PSPY groups with different doses (10 and 100%) for 8 weeks. The changes in myocardial architecture and key molecules of the hypertrophy-related pathway in the excised left ventricle from these rats were determined by histopathological analysis, hematoxylin and eosin staining and western blot analysis. Abnormal myocardial architecture and enlarged interstitial spaces observed in the SHRs were significantly decreased in the captopril and PSPY groups compared with the sterile water group. Moreover, the increases in atrial natriuretic peptide, B-type natriuretic peptide, phosphorilated protein kinase Cα and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II levels in the left ventricle were accompanied by hypertension and increases in phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 activities with enhanced cardiac hypertrophy. However, the protein levels of the hypertrophic-related pathways were completely reversed by the administration of PSPY. PSPY may repress the activation of ANP and BNP which subsequently inhibit the dephosphorylation of the nuclear factor of activated T-cells, cytoplasmic 3 and ultimately prevent the progression of cardiac hypertrophy.
Abstract:The aim of the present study was to determine whether Lactobacillus salivarius (LS) and Lactobacillus johnsonii (LJ) prevent alcoholic liver damage in HepG2 cells and rat models of acute alcohol exposure. In this study, heat-killed LS and LJ were screened from 50 Lactobacillus strains induced by 100 mM alcohol in HepG2 cells. The severity of alcoholic liver injury was determined by measuring the levels of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transferase (γ-GT), lipid peroxidation, triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol. Our results indicated that heat-killed LS and LJ reduced AST, ALT, γ-GT and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and outperformed other bacterial strains in cell line studies. We further evaluated these findings by administering these strains to rats. Only LS was able to reduce serum AST levels, which it did by 26.2%. In addition LS significantly inhibited serum TG levels by 39.2%. However, both strains were unable to inhibit ALT levels. In summary, we demonstrated that heat-killed LS and LJ possess hepatoprotective properties induced by alcohol both in vitro and in vivo.
Genotoxicity assessment is carried out on freeze dried powder of cultured probiotics containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus LCR177, Bifidobacterium adolescentis BA286, and Pediococcus acidilactici PA318. Ames tests, in vitro mammalian chromosome aberration assay, and micronucleus tests in mouse peripheral blood are performed. For 5 strains of Salmonella Typhimurium, the Ames tests show no increased reverse mutation upon exposure to the test substance. In CHO cells, the frequency of chromosome aberration does not increase in responding to the treatment of probiotics. Likewise, the frequency of micronucleated reticulocytes in probiotics-fed mice is indistinguishable from that in the negative control group. Taken together, the toxicity assessment studies suggest that the multispecies probiotic mixture does not have mutagenic effects on various organisms.
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