Protective Effects of Oral Lactobacillus rhamnosus on Liver Steatosis in Rats on High-Fat Diet

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of probiotic on fatty liver and metabolic endotoxemia in rats on high-fat diet. The rats were divided into three groups and fed one of the three diets (standard or control diet, high-fat diet, or high-fat + probiotic diet) for 16 weeks. At the end of this period, blood samples of the rats were taken and the liver tissue was removed for histopathology. There was an increase in the activities of both aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase in the livers of rats on high-fat diet. However, only the rise in aspartate aminotransferase was blunted by incorporation of probiotics to the high-fat diet. Histopathological examination revealed 62.5% hepatosteatosis in high fat diet group and 12.5% in high-fat + probiotic diet group. In conclusion, the protective effect of probiotic supplement on liver steatosis caused by high-fat diet was histopathologically demonstrated; however, its effect on liver enzymes, inflammatory markers, and metabolic endotoxin was not observed. There is a need for further studies in terms of both dose and strain to recommend the use of probiotics in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.