Effects of Lactobacillus casei shirota supplementation on growth performance, intestinal health and fecal AFB1 metabolite in AFB1-exposed rats

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is the most toxic mycotoxin, and is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen that is linked to liver cancer by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Probiotic supplementation has been studied widely and known for its potential to reduce the effects of AFB1 exposure. Therefore, this study aims to explore the effects of Lactobacillus casei Shirota (LcS) supplementation on body weight, food intake, intestinal morphometry biomarkers, the composition of Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. in feces, and fecal AFB1 in AFB1-exposed rats. Thirty-two male Sprague Dawley rats were divided equally into Control, AFB1, AFB1+LcS and LcS groups. AFB1 was given at a complete dosage of 25 µg AFB1/kg of body weight, while LcS supplementation at 2×109 CFU/mL per day. These treatments were given daily via oral gavage and the intervention ran for four weeks. All rats were given a normal diet and water ad libitum. The average body weight of rats in the Control, AFB1+LcS and LcS group showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) throughout four weeks of treatment. However, in the AFB1 group, there was no significant increment of body weight (p > 0.05) from Week 2 to 4. In fact, some rats in the AFB1 group had lost weight during Week 2, 3 and 4. For food intake, the AFB1 and AFB1+LcS group showed significant reduction (p < 0.05) throughout the 4-week treatment. Nonetheless, the AFB1+LcS group did show significant increase (p < 0.05) in food intake at Week 3 to 4. The Control group did not show any significant changes in food intake, while LcS group had a significant increase in food intake (p < 0.05) throughout the study. Histomorphometric analysis of the AFB1 group showed a significantly lower (p < 0.05) villus height in duodenum and ileum, and lower (p < 0.05) surface area in ileum in comparison to the LcS group. In contrast, the AFB1+LcS group showed a higher duodenal and ileal villus height, and surface area of ileum compared to the AFB1 group. The H&E staining showed a mild to moderate inflammation in all intestinal parts of the AFB1 group, while only mild inflammation was observed in the jejunum and ileum of the AFB1+LcS group. For fecal bacteria, Lactobacillus spp. counts increased in all groups throughout the study. Bifidobacterium spp. counts showed increment in three groups, while the AFB1 group showed significant reduction (p < 0.05). Besides, the fecal AFB1 in AFB1 group was significantly lower (p < 0.05) than in the AFB1+LcS group at the end of the study. In conclusion, LcS supplementation of 2×109 CFU/mL per day can alleviate the adverse effects of AFB1 exposure in terms of weight gain, intestinal histomorphometry, Bifidobacterium spp. counts in feces, as well as fecal AFB1 excretion. Further investigation on intestinal permeability and the analysis of AFB1 in serum and urine is suggested to further understand the mechanism of AFB1 excretion in the presence of LcS.

Text FPSK (m) 2022 62 - Declaration Form.pdf Restricted to Repository staff only Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (446kB) Text FPSK (m) 2022 62 - Full Text.pdf Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (4MB) Text FPSK (m) 2022 62.pdf Restricted to Repository staff only Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (4MB)

Actions (login required)

View Item