Lactobacillus acidophilus CHO-220 and inulin reduced plasma total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol via alteration of lipid transporters

Abstract

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and parallel-designed study was conducted to investigate the effect of a synbiotic product containing Lactobacillus gasseri [corrected] CHO-220 and inulin on lipid profiles of hypercholesterolemic men and women. Thirty-two hypercholesterolemic men and women with initial mean plasma cholesterol levels of 5.7±0.32 mmol/L were recruited for the 12-wk study. The subjects were randomly allocated to 2 groups; namely the treatment group (synbiotic product) and the control group (placebo), and each received 4 capsules of synbiotic or placebo daily. Our results showed that the mean body weight, energy, and nutrient intake of the subjects did not differ between the 2 groups over the study period. The supplementation of synbiotic reduced plasma total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol by 7.84 and 9.27%, respectively, compared with the control over 12 wk. Lipoproteins were subsequently subfractionated and characterized. The synbiotic supplementation resulted in a lower concentration of triglycerides in the very low, intermediate, low, and high-density lipoprotein particles compared with the control over 12 wk. The concentration of triglycerides in lipoproteins is positively correlated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis. Our results showed that the synbiotic might exhibit an atheropreventive characteristic. Cholesteryl ester (CE) in the high-density lipoprotein particles of the synbiotic group was also higher compared with the control, indicating greater transport of cholesterol in the form of CE to the liver for hydrolysis. This may have led to the reduced plasma total cholesterol level of the synbiotic group. The supplementation of synbiotic also reduced the concentration of CE in the LDL particles compared with the control, leading to the formation of smaller and denser particles that are more easily removed from blood. This supported the reduced LDL-cholesterol level of the synbiotic group compared with the control. Our present study showed that the synbiotic product improved plasma total- and LDL-cholesterol levels by modifying the interconnected pathways of lipid transporters. In addition, although Lactobacillus gasseri [corrected] CHO-220 could deconjugate bile, our results showed a statistically insignificant difference in the levels of conjugated, deconjugated, primary, and secondary bile acids between the synbiotic and control groups over 12 wk, indicating safety from bile-related toxicity.

‘The way to a man's heart is through his gut microbiota’ – dietary pro- and prebiotics for the management of cardiovascular risk

“…The BA sequestrant, colestyramine has been shown to trigger satiety via reduced gastric emptying in healthy human subjects (168) , suggesting that factors controlling the enterohepatic circulation of BA may contribute to satiety as well as regulating blood cholesterol levels. Interestingly, recent studies showing that probiotic microorganisms can reduce cholesterol uptake from the intestine via modulation of BA signalling, discussed earlier (29,30) raise another possibility that oats and prebiotics in general (including certain polyphenols) may selectively stimulate gut bacteria capable of hydrolysing bile salts modifying the enterohepatic circulation of BA both in terms of quantity and chemical profile (39,79,(169)(170)(171) . Intestinal lactobacilli and bifidobacteria commonly encode bile salt hydrolysing enzymes and changes in their relative abundance wrought by probiotics, prebiotics and polyphenols could increase also their relative contribution to modifying the pool of BA returning from the gut and acting as signalling molecules in the liver, the gut wall and systemically through receptors FXRα and TGR-5 to impact on lipid absorption from the intestine, lipid and glucose homoeostasis, thermogenesis and inflammation (30,80,146,148,149) .…”

Cholesterol lowering and inhibition of sterol absorption by Lactobacillus reuteri NCIMB 30242: a randomized controlled trial

“…Furthermore, no previous clinical trial has reported a significant LDL-C reduction by a probiotic supplement formulation unless delivered as a synbiotic. 26 It has been previously postulated that some probiotic lipid-lowering clinical trials lack appropriate strain selection, method of delivery or clinical design. 31 For the current study, a systematic approach was applied, including identifying a strain, L. reuteri NCIMB 30242, with the appropriate phenotypic characteristics including elevated natural BSH expression, ensuring the safety of the strain through phenotypic and genotypic characterization 32 and optimizing the production parameters of the strain.…”

“…[15][16][17][18][19] The majority of randomized controlled trials, however, have reported no significant effect, [20][21][22][23][24][25] and no clinical trial has reported significant LDL-C reductions of a probiotic supplement formulation unless delivered as a synbiotic. 26 Previously, we have reported on the cholesterollowering efficacy of a microencapsulated BSH-active Lactobacillus reuteri NCIMB 30242 yogurt formulation. 18 Furthermore, the clinical safety and tolerability of L. reuteri NCIMB 30242 has been confirmed in yogurt 27 and capsule formulations.…”

Anti-Obesity Effect and Action Mechanism ofAdenophora triphyllaRoot Ethanol Extract in C57BL/6 Obese Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet

“…26,27) Inulin, another active ingredient of ATREE, also was reported to reduce body weight by lowering plasma total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. 28) Differences in body weights between the E1 and the E2 group were observed, but they were not statistically significant.…”