Protective effects of Shichimotsu-koka-To on irreversible Thy-1 nephritis.

Oxidative stress and peritubular capillary (PTC) injury are involved in the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We investigated protective effects of Shichimotsu-koka-To (SKT), a Japanese traditional Kampo prescription, against nephrosclerosis and hypertension on a CKD model due to irreversible nephritis. Six-week-old male Wistar rats were subjected to uninephrectomy, and to injection of rabbit anti-thymocyte serum. SKT treatment was continued for 15 weeks, blood pressure was measured, and then renal specimens were collected. PTC networks were detected by immunostaining for CD-31. And superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity in the tissue was evaluated. Blood pressure in the SKT group, as well as sham group, was significantly lower than with the vehicle. SKT markedly ameliorated renal function, which was evaluated with urea nitrogen clearance. Compared with the vehicle, SKT treatment lowered both the glomerular enlargement and hyper-cellularity by 80%, and decreased the extracellular matrix area by 75%. SKT treatment also suppressed tubular injury, and maintained PTC networks. Furthermore, SKT recovered SOD-like activity to the basal levels. These results suggest that SKT may be useful for the treatment of CKD during the progression to nephrosclerosis, through the mechanisms of anti-oxidative activity and maintenance of PTC networks.

Commensal microbe-derived acetate suppresses NAFLD/NASH development via hepatic FFAR2 signalling in mice.

BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome, and it can progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Alterations in the gut microbiome have been implicated in the development of NAFLD/NASH, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. RESULTS: We found that the consumption of the prebiotic inulin markedly ameliorated the phenotype of NAFLD/NASH, including hepatic steatosis and fibrosis, in mice. Inulin consumption resulted in global changes in the gut microbiome, including concomitant enrichment of the genera Bacteroides and Blautia, and increased concentrations of short-chain fatty acids, particularly acetate, in the gut lumen and portal blood. The consumption of acetate-releasing resistant starch protected against NAFLD development. Colonisation by Bacteroides acidifaciens and Blautia producta in germ-free mice resulted in synergetic effects on acetate production from inulin. Furthermore, the absence of free fatty acid receptor 2 (FFAR2), an acetate receptor, abolished the protective effect of inulin, as indicated by the more severe liver hypertrophy, hypercholesterolaemia and inflammation. These effects can be attributed to an exacerbation of insulin resistance in the liver, but not in muscle or adipose tissue. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrated that the commensal microbiome-acetate-FFAR2 molecular circuit improves insulin sensitivity in the liver and prevents the development of NAFLD/NASH. Video abstract.

Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis GCL2505 modulates host energy metabolism via the short-chain fatty acid receptor GPR43.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are metabolites derived from the fermentation of dietary fibre by the gut microbiota, are important for host metabolic health. There is interest in probiotics for their beneficial effects on metabolic disorders, such as obesity, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we evaluated whether Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis GCL2505 (GCL2505), a probiotic strain capable of proliferating and increasing SCFA levels in the gut, exerts anti-metabolic syndrome effects via the SCFA receptor G protein-coupled receptor 43 (GPR43). A GCL2505 treatment suppressed body fat accumulation, improved glucose tolerance, and enhanced systemic fatty acid oxidation in high-fat diet (HFD)-fed wild type (WT) mice, whereas these effects were not observed in HFD-fed Gpr43 knockout (Gpr43-/-) mice. Caecal and plasma acetate levels were elevated by GCL2505 in WT and Gpr43-/- mice, but the negative correlation between plasma acetate levels and body fat accumulation was observed only in WT mice. We further demonstrated that GCL2505 suppressed insulin signalling in the adipose tissue via GPR43. These results suggested that increases in SCFA levels in response to GCL2505 enhance host energy expenditure, which decreases fat accumulation via activated GPR43.

Lipopolysaccharide-triggered acute aggravation of mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis through activation of coagulation in a high IgA strain of ddY mice.

BACKGROUND: The high IgA (HIGA) strain of ddY mice represents an inbred model of IgA nephropathy that shows mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis with mesangial IgA deposition. In this study, aggravation of glomerulonephritis in HIGA mice through lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-triggered activation of coagulation was investigated. METHODS: Twelve-week-old HIGA and BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally injected with LPS twice at an interval of 3 days, and kidney specimens were collected 7 days after the second LPS injection. In an intervention experiment, the factor Xa inhibitor danaparoid was injected intraperitoneally every day for 7 days after the first LPS injection. RESULTS: LPS injection induced macrophage infiltration and cellular proliferation in the mesangium together with fibrin deposition and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 mRNA expression, as well as antigen deposition of tissue factor, factor V, factor X, and protease-activated receptor 2. These phenomena were obvious in HIGA mice when compared to BALB/c mice. Interestingly, toll-like receptor 4 was intensely expressed in HIGA mice before LPS injection and subsequently decreased. Danaparoid treatment significantly ameliorated proteinuria, cellular proliferation, and fibrin deposition. CONCLUSIONS: The present data suggest that tissue factor and factor V induction by LPS may in part accelerate mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis through activation of factor X and downstream proinflammatory and procoagulant mechanisms.

A proliferative probiotic Bifidobacterium strain in the gut ameliorates progression of metabolic disorders via microbiota modulation and acetate elevation.

The gut microbiota is an important contributor to the worldwide prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS), which includes obesity and diabetes. The anti-MS effects exerted by Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis GCL2505 (BlaG), a highly proliferative Bifidobacterium strain in the gut, and B. longum ssp. longum JCM1217T (BloJ) were comparatively examined. BlaG treatment reduced visceral fat accumulation and improved glucose tolerance, whereas BloJ had no effect on these parameters. Gut microbial analysis revealed that BlaG exerted stronger effects on the overall bacterial structure of the gut microbiota than BloJ, including enrichment of the genus Bifidobacterium. The levels of acetate and glucagon-like peptide-1 were increased by BlaG treatment in both the gut and plasma, but not by BloJ treatment. Correlation analysis suggested that the elevation of gut acetate levels by BlaG treatment plays a pivotal role in the BlaG-induced anti-MS effects. These findings indicated that BlaG, a highly viable and proliferative probiotic, improves metabolic disorders by modulating gut microbiota, which results in the elevation of SCFAs, especially acetate.

Effect of Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis GCL2505 on visceral fat accumulation in healthy Japanese adults: a randomized controlled trial.

Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis GCL2505 (B. lactis GCL2505) is able to survive passage through the intestine and then proliferate, leading to an increase in the amount of gut bifidobacteria. In the present study, we evaluated the impact of B. lactis GCL2505 on abdominal visceral fat storage in overweight and mildly obese Japanese adults. This clinical study was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group comparative trial performed for 12 weeks. Healthy Japanese subjects (N=137) with body mass indices ranging from 23 to 30 kg/m2 consumed either fermented milk containing B. lactis GCL2505 or a placebo every day, and then visceral and subcutaneous abdominal fat areas were measured by computed tomography as the primary endpoints. The number of fecal bifidobacteria was also measured. Visceral fat area, but not subcutaneous fat area, was significantly reduced from baseline at 8 and 12 weeks in the GCL2505 group, compared with the placebo group. The total number of fecal bifidobacteria was significantly increased in the GCL2505 group. These results indicate that B. lactis GCL2505 reduces abdominal visceral fat, a key factor associated with metabolic disorders. This finding suggests that this probiotic strain can potentially serve as a specific functional food to achieve visceral fat reduction in overweight or mildly obese individuals.