Probiotic strains improve high-fat diet-induced hypercholesterolemia through modulating gut microbiota in ways different from atorvastatin.

Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Probiotics are one of the most popular dietary supplements for hypercholesterolemia, but there are questions as to whether there are differences between probiotics and cholesterol-lowering drugs like atorvastatin (ATO) both in effectiveness and in the underlying mechanisms. In this study, the hypocholesterolemia effects of 4 probiotic strains were investigated and compared with ATO, focusing on their impacts on the gut microbiota. A hypercholesterolemia model was established via high-fat diet (HFD) in golden hamsters after which ATO and the 4 probiotics were orally administered individually for 8 weeks. All probiotics were effective, but less than ATO, on body weight, serum parameters (TG, TC, LDL, INS, HbA1c) and expression of inflammatory factors (INF-α, IL-1ß, CRP), with strain JQII-5 being most significant. Besides, these effects were associated with restoration of microbiota dysbiosis induced by HFD. It was worth noting that ATO and probiotics induced different shifts of the gut microbiota in both structure and key phylotypes. Most interestingly, Allobaculum, a HFD-suppressed genus, reported to be involved in alleviating oxidative stress, was enriched by all tested probiotic strains, but not by ATO. Furthermore, Prevotella, also a HFD-suppressed genus, was uniquely reversed by JQII-5. Importantly, most of the alerted genera and reversed genera were found to be correlated with the inflammatory state and serum lipid level. Compared with ATO, the probiotic strains were less effective on body weight, hypercholesterolemia, and inflammation. However, probiotics exert additional favorable effects on the gut microbiota, making them excellent potential complements to cholesterol-lowering drugs like ATO.

Safety evaluation of multiple strains of Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus pentosaceus in Wistar rats based on the Ames test and a 28-day feeding study.

Three lactic acid bacterial strains, Lactobacillus plantarum, HK006, and HK109, and Pediococcus pentosaceus PP31 exhibit probiotic potential as antiallergy agents, both in vitro and in vivo. However, the safety of these new strains requires evaluation when isolated from infant faeces or pickled cabbage. Multiple strains (HK006, HK109, and PP31) were subject to a bacterial reverse mutation assay and a short-term oral toxicity study. The powder product exhibited mutagenic potential in Salmonella Typhimurium strains TA98 and TA1535 (with or without metabolic activation). In the short-term oral toxicity study, rats received a normal dosage of 390 mg/kg/d (approximately 9 × 10(9) CFU/kg/d) or a high dosage of 1950 mg/kg/d (approximately 4.5 × 10(10) CFU/kg/d) for 28 d. No adverse effects were observed regarding the general condition, behaviour, growth, feed and water consumption, haematology, clinical chemistry indices, organ weights, or histopathologic analysis of the rats. These studies have demonstrated that the consumption of multiple bacterial strains is not associated with any signs of mutagenicity of S. Typhimurium or toxicity in Wistar rats, even after consuming large quantities of bacteria.

Effects of dietary probiotic (Pediococcus acidilactici) supplementation on performance, nutrient digestibility, egg traits, egg yolk cholesterol, and fatty acid profile in laying hens.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of dietary probiotic Pediococcus acidilactici (PA) strain MA18/5M on performance, egg traits, egg cholesterol content, and fatty acid composition in laying hens during a 24-wk period. A total of 222 Hy-Line Brown laying hens, 22 wk of age, were divided into 3 treatment groups. Control group (C) hens were fed a basal diet with no probiotic added. In group PA1, the basal diet was supplemented with PA at 100 mg.kg(-1) of feed for the first 12 wk and 50 mg.kg(-1) feed for the next 12 wk, whereas treatment PA2 was supplemented with 100 mg.kg(-1) feed for the whole trial period. Dietary treatments did not significantly affect the BW, feed intake, and egg production of hens. Pediococcus acidilactici supplementation increased egg weight (P < 0.05), eggshell thickness, eggshell relative weight, and egg specific gravity, and it improved feed efficiency ratio per kilogram of eggs (P < 0.01). Moreover, PA dietary supplementation resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in the number of broken eggs and eggs without the shell, leading to a significant (P < 0.01) reduction in the number of downgraded eggs (39% for PA1 and 52% for PA2). After 6 mo of probiotic supplementation, significant differences were also found in the fatty acid composition and cholesterol content of egg yolk. The yolk cholesterol content, regardless of PA dose, decreased by more than 10%. The concentrations of total polyunsaturated fatty acids, including linoleic acid and linolenic acid, were significantly higher in treatment PA2 (6.5% increase) than in C and PA1. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of Pediococcus acidilactici MA 18/5M at 100 mg.kg(-1) has potential commercial applications for improvements in hen performance and eggshell quality during the early laying period.

Functional compounds in fermented buckwheat sprouts.

Fermented buckwheat sprouts (FBS) are used as multifunctional foods. Their production process includes fermentation with lactic acid bacteria. The major strains were found to include Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus pentosus, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, and Pediococcus pentosaceus in an investigation of the lactic acid bacteria. We searched for the functional components, and nicotianamine (NA) and 2″-hydroxynicotianamine (HNA) were identified as angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. NA and HNA increased during fermentation. Indole-3-ethanol was identified as an antioxidant (a SOD active substance), and may have been generated from tryptophan during fermentation because it was not contained in green buckwheat juice. A safety test demonstrated that FBS contained were safe functional food components, showing negative results in buckwheat allergy tests. Any buckwheat allergy substances might have been degraded during the fermentation process.

The efficacy of lactic acid bacteria Pediococcus acidilactici, lactose and formic acid as dietary supplements for turkeys.

A feeding trial was performed on 1400 Big-6 turkey toms divided into experimental groups subject to the use of dietary supplements. The ain of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the probiotic supplement Bactocell, containing lactic acid bacteria Pediococcus acidilactici, and lactose, administered to turkeys separately or in combination, as well as a formic acid supplement. The addition of the probiotic under test (lactic acid bacteria Pediococcus acidilactici) to diets for turkeys contributed to higher daily gains and lower feed consumption per kg weigh gain only during the first 12 weeks of their life. Diet supplementation with lactic acid bacteria and lactose reduced mortality rates. A slaughter value analysis revealed only a slightly (by approximately 1%) higher content of breast muscle and a lower content of thigh muscle in birds fed diets supplemented with lactic acid bacteria. Turkeys receiving lactic acid bacteria or lactose and a combination of both these supplements were characterized by a higher fat content of meat and slightly lower pH values, whereas meat from turkeys fed lactose-supplemented diets was darker in color. The addition of formic acid Acidum formicum to diets for turkeys contributed only to lower mortality rates.