Yogurt Alleviates Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis by Activating the Lactate/GPR81 Signaling Axis in Mice

Abstract

In addition to colorectal cancer and metabolic syndrome, regular yogurt consumption has shown promise in improving skin inflammation. In this study, we investigated the effects and possible mechanisms of yogurt on imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like inflammation in mice. After oral administration with yogurt (18 or 36 g/kg) and/or its main metabolite lactate (250 or 500 mg/kg) for 3 days, the mice were treated with a topical dose of 62.5 mg of imiquimod (IMQ) cream for seven consecutive days. Data showed that yogurt and lactate treatment significantly reduced the severity of psoriasis-like skin lesions, excessive keratinocyte proliferation, and immune cell infiltration. Mechanistically, we found that the genetic deficiency of the lactate receptor GPR81 aggravated psoriasis-like features in mice. Activation of the lactate/GPR81 axis inhibited the degradation of IκBα, prevented the nuclear translocation of histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) in macrophages, and thus constrained skin inflammation. Overall, these findings suggest that yogurt consumption effectively protects against experimental psoriasis and targeting the lactate/GPR81 signaling axis could be a promising approach for psoriasis inflammation management.

A Combination of Exercise and Yogurt Intake Protects Mice against Obesity by Synergistic Promotion of Adipose Browning

“…The preparation of yogurt was conducted as described. , Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophiles were added to the pasteurized market regular whole milk (Brightdairy Dairy Co., Ltd.) at 1:1 ratio and adjusted to 10 8 CFU/mL. Then the mixture was cultured at 39 °C for 9 h to obtain yogurt.…”

“…At week 9, for the Swim group, mice were trained to swim as mentioned; for the Yogurt group, mice were treated with yogurt (20 g/kg) by gavage once daily; for the Swim+Yogurt group, mice received both swimming training and yogurt supplementation. The dosage was established according to the recommended intake of yogurt (120 g/day) for a 70 kg adult under dietary guideline and the lactate content (1.2%) in yogurt using the human-to-mouse scaling factor recommended by the FDA . On this basis, we adopted a yogurt dose of 20 g/kg for mice, along with equivalent and double equivalent doses of lactate (250 and 500 mg/kg).…”

Macrophage Functions in Psoriasis: Lessons from Mouse Models

“…Modifying dietary habits also plays an important supporting role in the treatment of psoriasis. Some studies based on an imiquimod-induced mouse model suggest that yogurt consumption may reduce disease severity by targeting lactate/GPR81 signaling in macrophages [142], while omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids inhibit the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines by macrophages [143].…”