<i>Lactobacillus paracasei</i><scp>N1115</scp> attenuates obesity in high‐fat diet‐induced obese mice

Abstract

Disruption of the microbial structure of intestinal bacteria due to a high-fat diet (HFD) is closely associated with metabolic disorders, such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Probiotics are known to modulate the gut microbiota; therefore, we demonstrated the capability of <i>Lactobacillus paracasei</i> N1115 (<i>LC</i>-N1115) to attenuate obesity. Four-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were fed a HFD for 12 weeks to induce obesity and were then randomized to supplemented placebo or <i>LC-</i>N1115 treatment group for another 12 weeks. <i>LC</i>-N1115 treatment reduced weight gain and liver fat accumulation as well as triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. The administration of <i>LC</i>-N1115 suppressed the expression of fatty acid synthase, interleukin-1 β, and toll-like receptor 4. Notably, the operational taxonomic units that negatively and positively correlated with the obesity phenotypes were enriched and reduced, respectively, in the <i>LC</i>-N1115 treatment group. These results indicate that <i>LC</i>-N1115 attenuates obesity by modulating the gut microbiota and the expression of lipid synthesis and proinflammatory cytokine genes.