Pediococcus acidilactici pA1c® Improves the Beneficial Effects of Metformin Treatment in Type 2 Diabetes by Controlling Glycaemia and Modulating Intestinal Microbiota

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a complex metabolic disease, which involves maintained hyperglycemia, mainly due to the development of an insulin resistance process. Metformin administration is the most prescribed treatment for diabetic patients. In a previously published study, we demonstrated that Pediococcus acidilactici pA1c® (pA1c) protects from insulin resistance and body weight gain in HFD-induced diabetic mice. The present work aimed to evaluate the possible beneficial impact of a 16-week administration of pA1c, metformin, or the combination of pA1c and metformin in a T2D HFD-induced mice model. We found that the simultaneous administration of both products attenuated hyperglycemia, increased high-intensity insulin-positive areas in the pancreas and HOMA-β, decreased HOMA-IR and also provided more beneficial effects than metformin treatment (regarding HOMA-IR, serum C-peptide level, liver steatosis or hepatic Fasn expression), and pA1c treatment (regarding body weight or hepatic G6pase expression). The three treatments had a significant impact on fecal microbiota and led to differential composition of commensal bacterial populations. In conclusion, our findings suggest that P. acidilactici pA1c® administration improved metformin beneficial effects as a T2D treatment, and it would be a valuable therapeutic strategy to treat T2D.

Glucose-lowering effects of a synbiotic combination containing Pediococcus acidilactici in C. elegans and mice

“…In the recent years, various studies have suggested the genus Pediococcus and the species Pediococcus acidilactici to be potential probiotics preventing hyperglycaemia and diabetes. High abundance of this bacterium is negatively correlated with glucose levels and diabetes development [ 12 – 14 , 84 , 85 ]. A significant increase in Pediococcus (Fig.…”

“…The high degree of similarity between both strains indicates that Pediococcus lolii is a strain of Pediococcus acidilactici [ 95 ]. Numerous studies support the use of Lactobacillus salivarius and Pediococcus acidilactici as probiotics, since they are able to lower blood glucose levels, reduce proinflammatory cytokines and attenuate liver damage in individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes [ 12 – 14 , 85 , 96 – 98 ]. In addition, a decline in the relative abundance of Butyrivibrio crossotus , Lachnospiraceae bacterium , Ruminococcus torques and Turicibacter sanguinis among others can be observed.…”

“…This species meets the criteria of qualified presumption of safety (QPS) by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). C. elegans and pA1c were cultured as described previously [12][13][14][15][16]. The C. elegans strains used were: N2 Bristol; daf-16 (mu86, CF1038) mutant strain; and daf-16:GFP mutant strain.…”

“…Previous studies from our group have demonstrated that the probiotic Pediococcus acidilactici CECT9879 (pA1c) counteracts the effect of a high-glucose exposure in Caenorhabditis elegans by affecting the insulin signalling pathway (IIS) [ 12 ]. Moreover, we observed that the effect of pA1c found in C. elegans was also seen in high-fat/high-sucrose (HFS)-induced mice [ 13 , 14 ]. Thus, we decided to go deeper in the study of the metabolic activities of this probiotic combined with other normoglycaemic compounds and prebiotics.…”

Development, Analysis, and Sensory Evaluation of Improved Bread Fortified with a Plant-Based Fermented Food Product

“…FFP was initially intended for livestock supplementation, and previous studies have shown beneficial effects in animals, including improved health status in rabbits [46] and dairy calves [47], and a similar product by the same producers provoked a greater energy efficiency for milk production and fiber digestibility in lactating goats [48]. Additionally, preclinical studies in type 2 diabetes rats fed FFP showed that the product protected against the development and progression of type 2 diabetes [49], and two other studies with a probiotic bacteria isolated from FFP also showed beneficial effects in type II diabetes mellitus management [50,51].…”