The Protective Effects of Probiotic Bacteria on Cadmium Toxicity in Rats

Abstract

One of the useful properties of probiotic bacteria is their capacity to bind different targets, thus eliminating them through feces. It is supposed that one of these targets could be cadmium, a widespread environmental toxicant that causes various disturbances in biological systems. This study examined the protective effects of probiotic supplementation against cadmium-induced toxicity in the rat. The experiment was conducted in the course of 5 weeks. Animals were divided into four groups: (1) controls, (2) probiotics treated, (3) cadmium treated, and (4) probiotics + cadmium treated. The cadmium concentration was measured in the blood, liver, kidney, and feces, as well as the blood alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) as biomarkers of the liver function. Histomorphological changes in the liver and kidney were also determined. Our results revealed that probiotics combined with cadmium increase this metal concentration in feces. As a result, blood, liver, and kidney Cd levels, as well as blood ALT and AST activities were lessened compared to the rat group treated with cadmium only. Besides, probiotics consumed simultaneously with cadmium attenuated histomorphological changes in the liver and kidney caused by cadmium. The rise in lactobacilli number in feces of rats treated simultaneously with cadmium and probiotics results in strong correlation with the increase of Cd concentration in their feces and the decrease of Cd concentration in their blood. We speculate that probiotics actively contribute to cadmium excretion through feces, probably, by its binding to their bacterial cell wall.

Melatonin reprogramming of gut microbiota improves lipid dysmetabolism in high‐fat diet‐fed mice

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High-Fat Diet Affects Heavy Metal Accumulation and Toxicity to Mice Liver and Kidney Probably via Gut Microbiota

“…Cd-exposed rats when fed with probiotics Lactobacillus plantarum and Bacillus coagulans showed reduced Cd accumulation in the liver and kidney, as well as reduced serum alanine transaminase and glutamic transaminase activities and creatinine and urea concentrations, suggesting a reduction in Cd toxicity (Jafarpour et al, 2017). In rats exposed to Cd, the abundance of lactic acid bacteria in fecal microbiota was positively correlated with fecal Cd content and negatively correlated with the serum Cd content, indicating that the probiotics might absorb Cd and exclude it (Djurasevic et al, 2017). A randomized open-label pilot study in heavy metal-contaminated areas showed that supplementation of Lactobacillus rhamnosus resulted in significantly lower levels of mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As) in the blood of pregnant women than in the control group (Bisanz et al, 2014), suggesting that interventions targeting gut microbiota in specific populations may reduce the health risks of heavy metals.…”

Effects of Probiotic Bacillus as an Alternative of Antibiotics on Digestive Enzymes Activity and Intestinal Integrity of Piglets

“…Previous researches illustrated that probiotics enhance growth performance of poultry and swine ( Wang et al, 2012 ), modulate immune system ( González-Ortiz et al, 2013 ), and promote intestinal health ( Tojo et al, 2014 ). Probiotics, with the definition of live micro-organisms, are considered to have potential benefits on the host health ( Hickey et al, 2012 ; Djurasevic et al, 2017 ). Many researches demonstrated that probiotics improve growth performance ( Giang et al, 2010 ), modulate host immunity ( Deng et al, 2013 ), and decrease the diarrhea rate of weaned piglets ( González-Ortiz et al, 2013 ).…”