Lactobacillus helveticus attenuates alcoholic liver injury via regulation of gut microecology in mice

Previous reports have demonstrated that alcohol consumption significantly reduces the abundance of Lactobacillus in the gut. In this study, we selected five species of the genus Lactobacillus, commonly found in fermented foods, and acknowledged them as safe, edible, and effective in preventing or treating certain diseases, to evaluate their effects on alcoholic liver disease (ALD). By comparing the liver damage indices in each group, we found that the type strain of Lactobacillus helveticus (LH, ATCC 15009) had the most marked alleviating effect on ALD-induced liver injury. Furthermore, experiments combining microbiomics and metabolomics were conducted to explore the mechanisms underlying the hepatoprotective effects of LH. Finally, we discovered that LH mitigated ethanol-induced liver steatosis and inflammation in ALD mice by altering the structure and function of the gut microbiome, increasing intestinal levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and enhancing gut barrier integrity. These findings suggest a potential strategy for the clinical management of patients with ALD. We identified the hepatoprotective ability of five potential probiotics in genus Lactobacillus in ALD mice, the most effective species of which is Lactobacillus helveticus. To further explore the mechanism of it, we conducted inflammation-relative factors testing in serum and liver, gut barrier function evaluating, 16S rRNA sequencing, and targeted metabolomics. In brief, we found that L.helveticus attenuated alcoholic liver injury by restoring the gut microbiome disorder, increasing the intestinal levels of beneficial metabolites, and enhancing the gut barrier integrity, which provided a potential strategy for the clinical management of ALD patients.image