Probiotic-fermented Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi alleviates alcoholic liver injury by enhancing antioxidant defense and modulating gut microbiota
J Sci Food Agric. 2022 Jun 2. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.12049. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: A Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi (PL) has been used in China to detoxify alcohol and protect the liver for millennia, however, its mechanism of liver protection has not been elucidated; and fermentation is considered to be one of the effective ways to enhance the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine. The aim of this study was to investigate the hepatoprotective mechanism of probiotic-fermented Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi (FPL). SD rats were administered with FPL followed by gavage of alcohol for 7 consecutive days, following that, liver injury levels were evaluated in rats.
RESULTS: Probiotic-fermented Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi (FPL) ameliorated lipid accumulation and inflammation levels in rats. Meanwhile, the levels of ethanol dehydrogenase (ADH)ãacetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) and cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1) were elevated by FPL treatment. It was observed that the levels of Catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were elevated, and the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 genes and proteins were increased by FPL treatment, it demonstrated that Nrf2-mediated signal pathways was activated. Furthermore, FPL restored the composition of the gut microbiota with an increase in the abundances of Firmicutes and Lactobacillus and a decrease in the abundances of Bacteroidota and Akkermansia. Additionally, a strong correlation was found between the gut microbiota and the antioxidant parameters.
CONCLUSION: The results indicate that probiotic-fermented Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi possesses an excellent protective effect in alcoholic liver injury. Our findings are beneficial to the development of hepatoprotective nutraceuticals for alcoholics. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
PMID:35655427 | DOI:10.1002/jsfa.12049