Anti-Menopausal Effect of Soybean Germ Extract and Lactobacillus gasseri in the Ovariectomized Rat Model.

Menopause is a significant phase in a woman's life. Menopausal symptoms can affect overall well-being and quality of life. Conventionally, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is used to alleviate menopausal symptoms; however, depending on the conditions, HRT may lead to side effects, necessitating the exploration of alternative therapies with fewer side effects. In this study, we investigated the effects of a combination of soybean germ extract (S30) containing 30% (w/w) isoflavone and a probiotic, Lactobacillus gasseri (LGA1), on menopausal conditions in an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model. We evaluated the impact of S30+LGA on body weight, estrogen markers, uterine and bone health, vascular markers, and neurotransmitter levels. The results revealed that treatment with S30+LGA1 significantly improved body weight and uterine and bone health. Moreover, S30+LGA1 demonstrated promising effects on lipid profile, liver function, and vascular markers and positively impacted serotonin and norepinephrine levels, indicating potential mood-enhancing effects. In conclusion, S30+LGA1, possessing anti-menopausal effects in vitro and in vivo, can be recommended as a soy-based diet, which offers various health benefits, especially for menopausal women.

Regulation of Alcohol and Acetaldehyde Metabolism by a Mixture of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium Species in Human.

Excessive alcohol consumption is one of the most significant causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Alcohol is oxidized to toxic and carcinogenic acetaldehyde by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and further oxidized to a non-toxic acetate by aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). There are two major ALDH isoforms, cytosolic and mitochondrial, encoded by ALDH1 and ALDH2 genes, respectively. The ALDH2 polymorphism is associated with flushing response to alcohol use. Emerging evidence shows that Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species encode alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) mediate alcohol and acetaldehyde metabolism, respectively. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover clinical trial was designed to study the effects of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium probiotic mixture in humans and assessed their effects on alcohol and acetaldehyde metabolism. Here, twenty-seven wild types (ALDH2*1/*1) and the same number of heterozygotes (ALDH2*2/*1) were recruited for the study. The enrolled participants were randomly divided into either the probiotic (Duolac ProAP4) or the placebo group. Each group received a probiotic or placebo capsule for 15 days with subsequent crossover. Primary outcomes were measurement of alcohol and acetaldehyde in the blood after the alcohol intake. Blood levels of alcohol and acetaldehyde were significantly downregulated by probiotic supplementation in subjects with ALDH2*2/*1 genotype, but not in those with ALDH2*1/*1 genotype. However, there were no marked improvements in hangover score parameters between test and placebo groups. No clinically significant changes were observed in safety parameters. These results suggest that Duolac ProAP4 has a potential to downregulate the alcohol and acetaldehyde concentrations, and their effects depend on the presence or absence of polymorphism on the ALDH2 gene.

Effects of multi-species probiotic supplementation on alcohol metabolism in rats.

Probiotics are known to protect against liver damage induced by the alcohol and acetaldehyde accumulation associated with alcohol intake. However, there have been few studies of the direct effect of probiotics on alcohol metabolism, and the types of probiotics that were previously analyzed were few in number. Here, we investigated the effects of 19 probiotic species on alcohol and acetaldehyde metabolism. Four probiotic species that had a relatively high tolerance to alcohol and metabolized alcohol and acetaldehyde effectively were identified: Lactobacillus gasseri CBT LGA1, Lactobacillus casei CBT LC5, Bifidobacterium lactis CBT BL3, and Bifidobacterium breve CBT BR3. These species also demonstrated high mRNA expression of alcohol and acetaldehyde dehydrogenases. ProAP4, a mixture of these four probiotics species and excipient, was then administered to rats for 2 weeks in advance of acute alcohol administration. The serum alcohol and acetaldehyde concentrations were significantly lower in the ProAP4-administered group than in the control and excipient groups. Thus, the administration of ProAP4, containing four probiotic species, quickly lowers blood alcohol and acetaldehyde concentrations in an alcohol and acetaldehyde dehydrogenasedependent manner. Furthermore, the serum alanine aminotransferase activity, which is indicative of liver damage, was significantly lower in the ProAP4 group than in the control group. The present findings suggest that ProAP4 may be an effective means of limiting alcohol-induced liver damage.

Effect of probiotics on obesity-related markers per enterotype: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Prevention and improvement of disease symptoms are important issues, and probiotics are suggested as a good treatment for controlling the obesity. Human gut microbiota has different community structures. Because gut microbial composition is assumed to be linked to probiotic function, this study evaluated the efficacy of probiotics on obesity-related clinical markers according to gut microbial enterotype. METHODS: Fifty subjects with body mass index over 25 kg/m2 were randomly assigned to either the probiotic or placebo group. Each group received either unlabeled placebo or probiotic capsules for 12 weeks. Body weight, waist circumference, and body composition were measured every 3 weeks. Using computed tomography, total abdominal fat area and visceral fat area were measured. Blood and fecal samples were collected before and after the intervention for biochemical parameters and gut microbial compositions analysis. RESULTS: Gut microbial compositions of all the subjects were classified into two enterotypes according to Prevotella/Bacteroides ratio. The fat percentage, blood glucose, and insulin significantly increased in the Prevotella-rich enterotype of the placebo group. The obesity-related markers, such as waist circumference, total fat area, visceral fat, and ratio of visceral to subcutaneous fat area, were significantly reduced in the probiotic group. The decrease of obesity-related markers was greater in the Prevotella-rich enterotype than in the Bacteroides-rich enterotype. CONCLUSION: Administration of probiotics improved obesity-related markers in obese people, and the efficacy of probiotics differed per gut microbial enterotype and greater responses were observed in the Prevotella-dominant enterotype.

Role of the PRC2-Six1-miR-25 signaling axis in heart failure.

The reduced expression of cardiac sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA2a) is a hallmark of heart failure. We previously showed that miR-25 is a crucial transcriptional regulator of SERCA2a in the heart. However, the precise mechanism of cardiac miR-25 regulation is largely unknown. Literatures suggested that miR-25 is regulated by the transcriptional co-factor, sine oculis homeobox homolog 1 (Six1), which in turn is epigenetically regulated by polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC 2) in cardiac progenitor cells. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether Six1 and PRC2 are indeed involved in the regulation of the miR-25 level in the setting of heart failure. Six1 was up-regulated in the failing hearts of humans and mice. Overexpression of Six1 led to adverse cardiac remodeling, whereas knock-down of Six1 attenuated pressure overload-induced cardiac dysfunction. The adverse effects of Six1 were ameliorated by knock-down of miR-25. The epigenetic repression on the Six1 promoter by PRC2 was significantly reduced in failing hearts. Epigenetic repression of Six1 is relieved through a reduction of PRC2 activity in heart failure. Six1 up-regulates miR-25, which is followed by reduction of cardiac SERCA2a expression. Collectively, these data showed that the PRC2-Six1-miR-25 signaling axis is involved in heart failure. Our finding introduces new insight into potential treatments of heart failure.