Bacillus subtilis pretreatment alleviates ethanol-induced acute liver injury by regulating the Gut-liver axis in mice

This study was designed to investigate the hepatoprotective effects of Bacillus subtilis, a commensal bacterial species in the human gut, on ethanol-induced acute liver damage and the underlying mechanisms in mice. Male ICR mice challenged with three doses of ethanol (5.5 g/kg BW) exhibited a significant increase in serum aminotransferase activities and TNF-alpha level, liver fat accumulation, and activation of NF-kappa B signaling and NLRP3 inflammasome, which was suppressed by pretreatment with Bacillus subtilis. Besides, Bacillus subtilis inhibited acute ethanol-induced intestinal villi shortening and epithelial loss, the decline of protein levels of intestinal tight junction protein ZO-1 and occludin, and elevation of serum LPS level. Furthermore, the upregulation of mucin-2 (MUC2) and the downregulation of anti-microbial Reg3B and Reg3G levels induced by ethanol were repressed by Bacillus subtilis. Lastly, Bacillus subtilis pretreatment significantly increased the abundance of the intestinal Bacillus, but had no effects on the binge drinking-induced increase of Prevotellaceae abundance. These results demonstrate that Bacillus subtilis supplementation could ameliorate binge drinking-induced liver injury, and thus may serve as a functional dietary supplement for binge drinkers.