No abstract

Targeting the gut-liver axis by modulating the gut-microbiome can be a promising therapeutic approach in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of single species and a combination of Lactobacillus and Pediococcus in NAFLD mice model. Six-week male C57BL/6J mice were divided into 9 groups (n = 10/group; normal, Western diet, and 7 Western diet-strains [10 9 CFU/g, 8 weeks]). The strains used were L. bulgaricus, L. casei, L. helveticus, P. pentosaceus KID7, and three combinations (1: L. casei+L. helveticus, 2: L. casei+L. helveticus+P. pentosaceus KID7, and 3: L. casei+L. helveticus+L. bulgaricus). Liver/Body weight ratio, serum and stool analysis, liver pathology, and metagenomics by 16S rRNA-sequencing were examined. In the liver/body ratio, L. bulgaricus (5.1 ± 0.5), L. helveticus (5.2 ± 0.4), P. pentosaceus KID7 (5.5 ± 0.5), and combination1 and 2 (4.2 ± 0.6 and 4.8 ± 0.7) showed significant reductions compared with Western (6.2 ± 0.6)(p < 0.001). In terms of cholesterol and steatosis/inflammation/NAFLD activity, all groups except for L. casei were associated with an improvement (p < .05). The elevated level of tumor necrosis factor-α/interleukin-1β (pg/ml) in Western (65.8 ± 7.9/163.8 ± 12.2) was found to be significantly reduced in L. bulgaricus (24.2 ± 1.0/ 58.9 ± 15.3), L. casei (35.6 ± 2.1/62.9 ± 6.0), L. helveticus (43.4 ± 3.2/53.6 ± 7.5), and P. pentosaceus KID7 (22.9 ± 3.4/59.7 ± 12.2)(p < 0.01). Cytokines were improved in the combination groups. In metagenomics, each strains revealed a different composition and elevated Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio in the western (47.1) was decreased in L. bulgaricus (14.5), L. helveticus (3.0), and P. pentosaceus KID7 (13.3). L. bulgaricus, L. casei, L. helveticus, and P. pentosaceus KID7 supplementation can improve NAFLDprogression by modulating gut-microbiome and inflammatory pathway.

Oxidative stress plays an important role in the progression of various neuronal diseases including ischemia. Heat shock protein 22 (HSP22) is known to protect cells against oxidative stress. However, the protective effects and mechanisms of HSP22 in hippocampal neuronal cells under oxidative stress remain unknown. In this study, we determined whether HSP22 protects against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative stress in HT-22 using Tat-HSP22 fusion protein. We found that Tat-HSP22 transduced into HT-22 cells and that H2O2-induced cell death, oxidative stress, and DNA damage were significantly reduced by Tat-HSP22. In addition, Tat-HSP22 markedly inhibited H2O2-induced mitochondrial membrane potential, cytochrome c release, cleaved caspase-3, and Bax expression levels, while Bcl-2 expression levels were increased in HT-22 cells. Further, we showed that Tat-HSP22 transduced into animal brain and inhibited cleaved-caspase-3 expression levels as well as significantly inhibited hippocampal neuronal cell death in the CA1 region of animals in the ischemic animal model. In the present study, we demonstrated that transduced Tat-HSP22 attenuates oxidative stress-induced hippocampal neuronal cell death through the mitochondrial signaling pathway and plays a crucial role in inhibiting neuronal cell death, suggesting that Tat-HSP22 protein may be used to prevent oxidative stress-related brain diseases including ischemia.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the leading causes of death worldwide, has a causal nexus with liver injury, inflammation, and regeneration that accumulates over decades. Observations from recent studies have accounted for the involvement of the gut–liver axis in the pathophysiological mechanism responsible for HCC. The human intestine nurtures a diversified colony of microorganisms residing in the host ecosystem. The intestinal barrier is critical for conserving the normal physiology of the gut microbiome. Therefore, a rupture of this barrier or dysbiosis can cause the intestinal microbiome to serve as the main source of portal-vein endotoxins, such as lipopolysaccharide, in the progression of hepatic diseases. Indeed, increased bacterial translocation is a key sign of HCC. Considering the limited number of clinical studies on HCC with respect to the microbiome, we focus on clinical as well as animal studies involving the gut microbiota, with the current understandings of the mechanism by which the intestinal dysbiosis promotes hepatocarcinogenesis. Future research might offer mechanistic insights into the specific phyla targeting the leaky gut, as well as microbial dysbiosis, and their metabolites, which represent key pathways that drive HCC-promoting microbiome-mediated liver inflammation and fibrosis, thereby restoring the gut barrier function.