Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Oat Beta-Glucan Regulated Fatty Acid Profiles along the Gut-Liver-Brain Axis of Mice Fed with High Fat Diet and Demonstrated Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Potentials.

SCOPE: This study takes a novel approach to investigate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of prebiotic oat beta-glucan (OAT) and the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) against high-fat diets (HFD) by examining the fatty acid profiles in the gut-liver-brain axis. METHOD AND RESULTS: HFD-fed C57BL/6N mice are supplemented with OAT and/or LGG for 17 weeks. Thereafter, mass spectrometry-based targeted lipidomics is employed to quantify short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and oxidized PUFA products in the tissues. Acetate levels are suppressed by HFD in all tissues but reversed in the brain and liver by supplementation with LGG, OAT, or LGG + OAT, and in cecum content by LGG. The n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ratio is elevated by HFD in all tissues but is lowered by LGG and OAT in the cecum and the brain, and by LGG + OAT in the brain, suggesting the anti-inflammatory property of LGG and OAT. LGG and OAT synergistically, but not individually attenuate the increase in non-enzymatic oxidized products, indicating their synbiotic antioxidant property. CONCLUSION: The regulation of the fatty acid profiles by LGG and OAT, although incomplete, but demonstrates their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potentials in the gut-liver-brain axis against HFD.

Chinese medicine formula DSQRL versus glucocorticoids for the treatment of experimental pulmonary fibrosis.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a devastating interstitial lung disease that may develop idiopathically or as a complication of many other diseases. The outcome of the current main treatment by glucocorticoids is by no means satisfactory. This study has tested a new Chinese medicine Decoction for Strengthening Qi and Replenishing Lung (DSQRL) for the treatment of experimental PF in comparison with prednisolone. Eighty-five rats with PF induced by CCl(4) were randomly divided into 4 groups to undertake treatment either by (a) high dose of prednisolone; (b) Chinese medicine formula DSQRL; (c) combined treatment of the above two; or (d) sham feeding of water in equal volume. At the end of 60 days treatment, the DSQRL treatment achieved a significantly better outcome than prednisolone in terms of general behavior, histological examination, hydroxyproline content of the lung and inflammatory cell counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Thus, the newly proposed Chinese medicinal formula DSQRL appears to be a better and promising option for PF than glucocorticoids for the treatment of PF.

Therapeutic effect of Chinese medicine formula DSQRL on experimental pulmonary fibrosis.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a restrictive lung disease that may occur idiopathically or as a complication of many diseases. The outcome of the current treatment by glucocorticoids remains very unsatisfactory. This study has tested a new Chinese medicine formula DSQRL for the treatment of experimental PF in comparison with prednisone. Seventy-two rats with PF induced by CCl(4) were randomly divided into four groups to undertake the treatment of either (a) high dose of prednisone; (b) Chinese medicine formula DSQRL; (c) combined treatment of the above two; or (d) tap water of the same volume. At the end of 30 days treatment, the DSQRL treatment achieved a better outcome (p<0.05) than prednisone in terms of histological examination, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis, hydroxyproline assay and complications. The observations support further investigation and clinical trials of this Chinese medicinal formula for the treatment of PF.