Lactobacillus fermentum KP-3-fermented ginseng ameliorates alcohol-induced liver disease in C57BL/6N mice by AMPK and MAPK pathways

Panax ginseng was fermented using Lactobacillus fermentum KP-3, and the levels of minor ginsenosides were measured. Then, the effect of fermented ginseng on alcohol-induced liver injury was investigated. C57BL/6N mice were randomly assigned into 4 groups: pair feed (PF), alcohol feed (AF), and alcohol with non-fermented (AF+NFG) or fermented ginseng (AF+FG) groups. After treatment for 8 weeks, fermented ginseng intervention significantly reduced the levels of serum ALT, AST, LPS, TG and TC compared with AF group. Western-blotting results showed that fermented ginseng activated adenosine-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway to inhibit the de novo lipogenesis in the liver and inhibited phosphorylation of p38 through mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway to alleviate hepatic inflammation, and these effects were superior than non-fermented ginseng. Furthermore, fermented ginseng reduced alcohol-induced liver oxidative damage by upregulating levels of antioxidative enzymes. These findings suggested that L. fermentum KP-3-fermented ginseng product may as a potential dietary nutraceutical for alleviating alcoholic liver injury.