Effects of Lactobacillus plantarum MA2 isolated from Tibet kefir on lipid metabolism and intestinal microflora of rats fed on high-cholesterol diet

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of Lactobacillus plantarum MA2, an isolate from Chinese traditional Tibet kefir, on cholesterol-lowering and microflora of rat in vivo. Rats were fed on cholesterol-enriched experimental diet, supplemented with lyophilized L. plantarum MA2 powder, with a dose of 10(11) cells/day per mice. The results showed that L. plantarum MA2 feeding significantly lowered serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides level, while there was no change in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. In addition, liver total cholesterol and triglycerides was also decreased. However, fecal cholesterol and triglycerides was increased significantly (P < 0.05) in comparison with the control. Also, L. plantarum MA2 increased the population of lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria in the fecal, but it did not change the number of Escherichia coli as compared to control. Moreover, pH, moisture, and organic acids in the fecal were also measured. The present results indicate the probiotic potential of the L. plantarum MA2 strain in hypocholesterolemic effect and also increasing the probiotic count in the intestine.

Hypocholesterolemic and Growth Promoting Effects of &lt;i&gt;Lactobacillus plantarum&lt;/i&gt; AK Isolated from a Nigerian Fermented Cereal Product on Rats Fed High Fat Diet

“…The strain used in this study had previously shown good survival in conditions simulating normal exposure to stomach acidity as well as high bile salt concentrations and additionally large bowel colonization can be inferred from the high counts of lactobacilli in the test group compared to the control group. The lactobacilli count increased steadily with time in the course of the study in agreement with several studies where administration of lactobacilli is positively correlated with significantly higher fecal lactobacilli counts [13,15,23]. In these studies the control is usually stable as in the present study.…”

“…In their study, the total cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels of mice in the control group were found to be significantly higher. Similar results were reported by Huang et al [24] and Wang et al [13] from studies on cholesterol-lowering effects of L. plantarum strains isolated from Tibetan kefir grains. Huang et al [24] found that their isolate significantly lowered serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides concentrations but not serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations and furthermore [23] indicating that these effects are not limited to a few species.…”

“…Other studies have shown variable results ranging from no significant effects such as the study by Wang et al [13] to significant increases in E. coli population which is a component of the coliform group in groups administered lactobacilli as observed by Xie et al [23]. A generally accepted explanation of probiotic action of lactic acid bacteria include improved intestinal microflora balance as seen in the present study, survival in stomach, bile salts and colonization of the large bowel.…”

“…These results appear not to be supported by some other studies such as Chiu et al [15] where all groups of hamsters fed high cholesterol diet showed no significant differences in body weight gain, total food intake and food efficiency irrespective of administration of lactobacilli or not. Similarly Wang et al [13] found no significant differences in body weight gain; food intake and food efficiency in animals supplemented with a strain of L. plantarum and the control group fed high lipid diets. In support of this study, Xie et al [23] found that the administration of lactobacilli significantly improved weight again and food efficiency compared to the control group in a similar study.…”

“…Recently, there has been renewed interest in lactic acid bacteria (LAB) particularly Lactobacillus spp which are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and have been linked to their contribution to health such as immunomodulation, anticarcinogenic properties and hypocholesterolemic properties [11][12][13][14]. There has been accumulating evidence that the presence Lactobacillus in sufficient amounts is associated with the lowering of serum cholesterol levels in experimental animals [13,15] though this is not always proven in humans [16].…”