Effect of Supplement on Blood Parameters and Microbiome of Dogs with Liver Disease

Abstract

The gut-liver axis plays a pivotal role in the development of liver diseases, necessitating exploration into substances capable of modulating the microbiota to prevent dysbiosis. Over the past decade, diverse therapeutic approaches have emerged to target pathogenic factors involved in the hepatic gut microbiota axis. This study investigated the impact of a supplement with hepatoprotective activity, containing extracts of Silybum marianum, prebiotics, probiotics, n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins on hematological markers of liver functions and on the intestinal microbiota of 10 adult dogs with metabolic liver disease over a 35-day time span. Animals underwent clinical and laboratory evaluations every 7 days, before administration of the supplement (T0) and after 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days (T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5). In comparison to T0, a significant (P<0.05) decrease of AST activity was measured at T2, T3, T4 and T5. The activity of ALP, glucose and CRP significantly decreased (P<0.05) at T3, T4, and T5. The alpha diversity of the fecal microbiota significantly decreased (P<0.05) only at T1, a high variability was observed between dogs. The total short-chain fatty acid and lactic acid were also lower at T1 (P<0.05) in comparison to the other times of sampling. The beta diversity of fecal microbiota failed to find a clear pattern in relation to the sampling times. These results underscore the usefulness of the supplement on liver function and highlight high individual variability in its interaction with the fecal microbiome.