Hypocholesterolemic effects of Lactobacillus reuteri LR6 in rats fed on high-cholesterol diet

The bacterium Lactobacillus reuteri LR6, an isolate from breast-fed human infant feces, was tested positive for bile tolerance and bile salt hydrolase activity. It was also evaluated as a potential probiotic with cholesterol-lowering effect in vivo. In this study, 32 male Albino rats were divided into four groups consisting of eight mice per group. For 60 d, group I was fed with normal synthetic diet, group II was fed with cholesterol-enriched diet only, group III was fed with cholesterol-enriched diet supplemented with skimmed milk, and group IV was fed with cholesterol-enriched diet supplemented with L. reuteri LR6-fermented skimmed milk (10(8) cfu/mL). Blood samples were taken to study lipid profile on 0th, 15th, 30th and 60th day. Compared with the control group, the values for total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and LDL were reduced significantly in group fed with L. reuteri LR6 but for HDL this difference was not significant. The results indicated that L. reuteri LR6 might be effective as a probiotic with cholesterol-lowering activities.