Probiotic Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055 (LG2055) reduces postprandial TAG absorption and exerts anti-obesity effects in rats and humans; however, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. In the present study, we addressed the mechanistic insights of the anti-obesity activity of LG2055 by feeding Sprague-Dawley rats diets containing skimmed milk fermented or not by LG2055 for 4 weeks and by analysing energy expenditure, glucose tolerance, the levels of SCFA in the caecum and serum inflammatory markers. Rats fed the LG2055-containing diet demonstrated significantly higher carbohydrate oxidation in the dark cycle (active phase for rats) compared with the control group, which resulted in a significant increase in energy expenditure. LG2055 significantly reduced cumulative blood glucose levels (AUC) compared with the control diet after 3 weeks and increased the molar ratio of butyrate:total SCFA in the caecum after 4 weeks. Furthermore, the LG2055-supplemented diet significantly reduced the levels of serum amyloid P component -an indicator of the inflammatory process. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that, in addition to the inhibition of dietary TAG absorption reported previously, the intake of probiotic LG2055 enhanced energy expenditure via carbohydrate oxidation, improved glucose tolerance and attenuated inflammation, suggesting multiple additive and/or synergistic actions underlying the anti-obesity effects exerted by LG2055.Key words: Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055: Energy expenditure: Glucose tolerance: ObesityThe use of probiotic strains such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria is increasingly expanding because of their beneficial effects (1) . Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055 (LG2055) is a representative of probiotic lactic acid bacteria isolated from the gastrointestinal tract in Japan (2,3) , which has been shown to improve intestinal microflora and metabolism (4) . Previous studies have indicated that LG2055 decreases lymphatic TAG absorption and increases faecal fatty acid excretion in rats (5) , decreases postprandial TAG absorption in humans (6) and exerts anti-obesity effect both in animals (5,(7)(8)(9) and in humans (10,11) . However, the underlying mechanisms are not quite clear. Other probiotic bacteria have also been reported to improve metabolism and exert anti-obesity effects in rodents (12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25) . The key mechanisms include induction of lipolysis via production of trans-10,cis-12-conjugated linoleic acid (12,13) , increase in sympathetic nerve activity (14) and suppression of fat deposition via increased expression of angiopoietin-like 4, a circulating inhibitor of lipoprotein lipase (15,17) . Furthermore, several Lactobacillus strains have been shown to induce transcriptional activation of fatty acid β-oxidation-related genes in the liver (19)(20)(21)23) and muscle (21) , while inhibiting the transcription of fatty acid synthase in the liver (24) , and to improve insulin sensitivity (21,22) and glucose tolerance (25) . However,...

This is the first direct evidence that ezetimibe inhibits esterified but not free cholesterol lymphatic transport in thoracic duct-cannulated rats. The results also indicate that ezetimibe is not involved in the lymphatic transport of triacylglycerols, phospholipids, or α-tocopherol.

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