Relationship between Changes in Microbiota and Liver Steatosis Induced by High-Fat Feeding—A Review of Rodent Models

Abstract

Several studies have observed that gut microbiota can play a critical role in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) development. The gut microbiota is influenced by different environmental factors, which include diet. The aim of the present review is to summarize the information provided in the literature concerning the impact of changes in gut microbiota on the effects which dietary fat has on liver steatosis in rodent models. Most studies in which high-fat feeding has induced steatosis have reported reduced microbiota diversity, regardless of the percentage of energy provided by fat. At the phylum level, an increase in Firmicutes and a reduction in Bacteroidetes is commonly found, although widely diverging results have been described at class, order, family, and genus levels, likely due to differences in experimental design. Unfortunately, this fact makes it difficult to reach clear conclusions concerning the specific microbiota patterns associated with this feeding pattern. With regard to the relationship between high-fat feeding-induced changes in liver and microbiota composition, although several mechanisms such as alteration of gut integrity and increased permeability, inflammation, and metabolite production have been proposed, more scientific evidence is needed to address this issue and thus further studies are needed.

Letrozole and the Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shaofu Zhuyu Decoction, Reduce Endometriotic Disease Progression in Rats: A Potential Role for Gut Microbiota

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The Gut Microbiota and Its Metabolites, Novel Targets for Treating and Preventing Non‐Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

“…[57,58] Recently, Gómez-Zorita et al have summarized present rodent studies that demonstrate the roles of altered gut microbiota in the modulation of hepatic steatosis induced by increased intake of dietary fat. [59] Therefore, combined with current investigations, we summarized the major changes in the gut microbiota of humans and animal models with liver diseases ( Table 1). However, the findings exhibit contradictory results when comparing different bacterial taxonomic composition between patients with NAFLD/NASH and control subjects.…”

Isolation and Identification of Lactobacillus plantarum HFY05 from Natural Fermented Yak Yogurt and Its Effect on Alcoholic Liver Injury in Mice

“…Other studies have confirmed that LAB have a variety of important physiological functions in the human body, such as maintaining micro-ecological balance, producing nutrition, and stimulating the development of tissues [10]. When probiotic bacteria are low in numbers and harmful bacteria increase, many reactions slow in the body, such as the immune response, inflammatory cells increase, thus, causing a series of metabolic disorders [11,12]. The unique physiology of LAB has allowed them to be widely used in the food, medicine, and other industries [9,13,14].…”

“…Studies have shown that LAB have an anti-oxidative effect and enhance immunity in vivo [11,12]. The present study tested the ability of Lactobacillus plantarum HFY05 (LP-HFY05) to regulate oxidative stress in alcohol-injured mice.…”