Objectives: The purpose of this study was to find the potential mechanism of two Lactobacillus (Lactobacillus plantarum L11 and Lactobacillus reuteri LR) on ameliorating obesity, including lipid metabolism and gut microbiota. The two isolates have been studied to have good characterization in vitro, but in vivo studies in modulating lipid metabolism and gut microbiota were not studied.
Methods: In this study, mice with HFD supplemented with L11 or LR exhibited slower obesity progression, including reduced weight gain, abdominal fat accumulation, liver damage, inflammation, and adipose lesions.
Results: Total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG) in the serum were significantly reduced (p < 0.01). The inflammatory marker interleukin-6 (IL-6) notably decreased (p < 0.05). Both Lactobacillus strains altered the gut microbiota composition, increasing the relative abundance of Alistipes and Lactobacillus, while L11 also raised Lachnospiraceae abundance. Results of the Western blot analysis showed that L11 and LR influenced the PPAR and AMPK pathways.
Conclusions: L11 and LR can effectively reduce obesity by modulating gut microbiota and activating the PPAR-AMPK pathway, leading to decreased liver injury and systemic inflammation in mice fed with an HFD. In the future, the two probiotics may provide a new way for clinically ameliorating obesity on human beings.
Keywords: gut microbiota; lipid metabolism; mechanism; probiotics.