Bifidobacterium longum supplementation improved high-fat-fed-induced metabolic syndrome and promoted intestinal Reg I gene expression

Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that intestinal Bifidobacterium species (spp.) positively correlates with improved insulin resistance and obesity, and this might be linked to metabolic inflammation. The expression of intestinal REG (regenerating) family proteins which are widely involved in inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes are still unknown in metabolic syndrome. Hence, we investigated the effects of Bifidobacterium longum (BIF) supplementation on metabolic parameters, intestinal function and expression of Reg family genes in a rat model of metabolic syndrome induced by a high-fat (HF) diet. We specifically increased the gut bifidobacterial content of HF-fed rats through BIF supplementation. Compared with the normal chow-fed control rats, HF feeding significantly reduced intestinal Bifidobacterium. As expected, BIF supplementation fed rats had totally restored quantities of Bifidobacterium. HF diet-fed rats showed significant increase in body weight, fat deposits, systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, fasting triglycerides and reduced insulin sensitivity, while increases of intestinal Bifidobacterium did improve HF-diet-induced metabolic disorders. HF feeding led to significantly higher levels of the plasma lipopolysaccharide, interleukin-1β and intestinal myeloperoxidase, as well as intestinal inflammatory activity index, while these parameters were normalized to the control levels in the HF + BIF-treated rats. The levels of RegI mRNA and protein in the HF + BIF group were significantly higher than the control and the HF groups. Increasing Bifidobacterium in the gut improved HF-fed-induced metabolic syndrome by reducing metabolic endotoxin concentrations and intestinal inflammation, as well as upgrading the expression of intestinal Reg I as a regulator of growth factor.

Cross-talk between Akkermansia muciniphila and intestinal epithelium controls diet-induced obesity

“…Several reports have demonstrated the importance of selected bacteria [i.e., Lactobacillus spp (30, 31), Bifidobacterium spp (32,33), and Bacteroides uniformis CECTT 7771 (34)] on fat mass development during diet-induced obesity, but the aims of these studies were different from that of the present study. These studies investigated the impact of supplementation with one specific probiotic strain or strains that were isolated from healthy infants on physiological parameters.…”

Gut Microbiota: In Sickness and in Health

“…Multiple in-vivo studies provide evidence that some probiotics can reduce diet-induced obesity in rodents [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18], although there are reports of probiotics with no effect on body weight gain [19] or in some cases probiotics that actually cause weight-gain in rodents [20]. While many studies indicate probiotics intake causes functional changes, such as lower blood lipids in hyperlipidemic animals [21], evidence is lacking for the impact of probiotics containing individual or multiple bacterial species on gut microbiota diversity and composition of obese animals.…”

Beyond gut microbiota: understanding obesity and type 2 diabetes

“…For instance, it was demonstrated that feeding Bifidobacterium improved several aspects of the metabolic syndrome reducing endotoxin concentration and intestinal inflammation. 76,77 However, these effects seem to be strain-dependent, which requires a detailed understanding of each strain and the way it affects fat and glucose metabolism. 78 As concerns Lactobacillus supplementation, although there is experimental data showing its effects in reduction of body weight, 79,80 some studies do not report these differences.…”