Lactobacillus Mucosae Strain Promoted by a High-Fiber Diet in Genetic Obese Child Alleviates Lipid Metabolism and Modifies Gut Microbiota in ApoE-/- Mice on a Western Diet

Abstract

Supplementation of probiotics is a promising gut microbiota-targeted therapeutic method for hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis. However, the selection of probiotic candidate strains is still empirical. Here, we obtained a human-derived strain, <i>Lactobacillus mucosae</i> A1, which was shown by metagenomic analysis to be promoted by a high-fiber diet and associated with the amelioration of host hyperlipidemia, and validated its effect on treating hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis as well as changing structure of gut microbiota in <i>ApoE^-/-</i> mice on a Western diet. <i>L. mucosae</i> A1 attenuated the severe lipid accumulation in serum, liver and aortic sinus of <i>ApoE^-/-</i> mice on a Western diet, while it also reduced the serum lipopolysaccharide-binding protein content of mice, reflecting the improved metabolic endotoxemia. In addition, <i>L. mucosae</i> A1 shifted the gut microbiota structure of <i>ApoE^-/-</i> mice on a Western diet, including recovering a few members of gut microbiota enhanced by the Western diet. This study not only suggests the potential of <i>L. mucosae</i> A1 to be a probiotic in the treatment of hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis, but also highlights the advantage of such function-based rather than taxonomy-based strategies for the selection of candidate strains for the next generation probiotics.