Active Lactobacillus rhamnosus LA68 or Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1 administration positively influences liver fatty acid composition in mice on a HFD regime

Western life style, and high calorie diet in particular is causing major health problems such as insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis and heart disease in the modern age. High fat diet (HFD) induces similar changes in mice, such as increased body weight, hypercholesterolemia and accumulation of triglycerides in the liver. These changes can be ameliorated by the administration of some Lactobacillus species. The focus of this study was to analyze the fatty acid content of liver, heart and brain tissues of mice fed HFD and administered with either Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1 or Lactobacillus rhamnosus LA68, and to analyze the fatty acid content of these organs after a two months washout period. The fatty acid composition of mouse liver tissue changed significantly due to probiotic administration during a 12 weeks HFD regime and active Lactobacillus administration had a slightly reversing effect toward the standard mouse diet group, but after the washout period these changes disappeared. The fatty acid composition of the heart and brain tissues was significantly changed in the HFD regime but probiotic administration had no significant influence on the fatty acid profile of these two organs. Upon the 8 weeks washout period the only remaining beneficial effect was the significantly lower mouse weight in the supplemented groups compared to the HFD group.