Administration of Lactobacillus salivarius LI01 or Pediococcus pentosaceus LI05 improves acute liver injury induced by D-galactosamine in rats

This work investigated the effect of the intragastric administration of five lactic acid bacteria from healthy people on acute liver failure in rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were given intragastric supplements of Lactobacillus salivarius LI01, Lactobacillus salivarius LI02, Lactobacillus paracasei LI03, Lactobacillus plantarum LI04, or Pediococcus pentosaceus LI05 for 8 days. Acute liver injury was induced on the eighth day by intraperitoneal injection of 1.1 g/kg body weight d-galactosamine (d-GalN). After 24 h, samples were collected to determine the level of liver enzymes, liver function, histology of the terminal ileum and liver, serum levels of inflammatory cytokines, bacterial translocation, and composition of the gut microbiome. The results indicated that pretreatment with L. salivarius LI01 or P. pentosaceus LI05 significantly reduced elevated alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels, prevented the increase in total bilirubin, reduced the histological abnormalities of both the liver and the terminal ileum, decreased bacterial translocation, increased the serum level of interleukin 10 and/or interferon-gamma, and resulted in a cecal microbiome that differed from that of the liver injury control. Pretreatment with L. plantarum LI04 or L. salivarius LI02 demonstrated no significant effects during this process, and pretreatment with L. paracasei LI03 aggravated liver injury. To the best of our knowledge, the effects of the three species-L. paracasei, L. salivarius, and P. pentosaceus-on d-GalN-induced liver injury have not been previously studied. The excellent characteristics of L. salivarius LI01 and P. pentosaceus LI05 enable them to serve as potential probiotics in the prevention or treatment of acute liver failure.