Protective effects of a cocktail of lactic acid bacteria on microcystin-LR-induced hepatotoxicity and oxidative damage in BALB/c mice

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of mixed lactic acid bacteria (LAB) against microcystinLR- exposed hepatotoxicity and oxidative stress in BALB/c mice. 20 LAB strains were randomly divided into three groups and the effects against microcystin-LR (MC-LR) toxicity investigated in vivo. The antioxidative abilities of the three LAB groups were also determined. The results showed that a cocktail of LAB 3 (CLAB3), including Lactobacillus johnsonii ATCC 33200, L. rhamnosus GG, Bifidobacterium adolescentis 1.1290 and B. bifidum CCFM 16, was able to significantly reverse the increased levels of serum ALT and AST, and liver tissue lesions by MC-LR. The alterations of hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities in the CLAB3 were improved compared to the MC-LR group alone. Moreover, the free radical scavenging and reducing abilities of CLAB3 were higher than other groups. CLAB3 can significantly alleviate MC-LR-induced hepatic damage and improve its oxidative stress. Moreover, the protective effects of the CLAB3 groups are related to its outstanding antioxidative abilities in vitro. LAB can be a promising dietary strategy to prevent cyanobacteria contamination toxicity.