A Lactobacillus Cocktail Changes Gut Flora and Reduces Cholesterolemia and Weight Gain in Hyperlipidemia Mice

We have developed a hyperlipidemia mouse model system to test the effects of natural Lactobacillus bio-products on intestinal microflora, organ physiology and lipid metabolism. Using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, PCR, quantitative real-time PCR and Southern blots, we show that Lactobacillus has different effects on the intestinal microflora compared to pharmaceutical drugs such as Simvastatin. The pool treated with Lactobacillus (L. plantarum, L. acidophilus and L. casei) is found to be closer than the control conditions. We report the existence of twelve main gut bacterial strains related to lipid metabolism in mice (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, B. licheniformis, B. oleronius, Enterobacter sp. dc6, Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus johnsonii, Lactococcus sp. M3T8B4 and four uncultured bacteria); most of which are found to be regulated by the cocktail of lactobacilli. In addition, we show that treatments with the three lactobacilli significantly reduce body weight, LDL and specific tissue fat pad levels, and increase HDL in experimental hyperlipidemic mice. Most importantly, addition of the Lactobacillus cocktail to fat food diet is found to keep gut flora normal and to prevent not only high blood lipid concentration but also cholesterolemia and weight gain. On the basis of these results we propose the use of L. plantarum, L. acidophilus and L. casei in a bio-product cocktail not only as a food complement to regulate the gut flora and prevent lipid accumulation but also as an alternate therapy to pharmaceutical drugs for the treatment of hyperlipidemia, obesity and all other genetic disorders that cause severe deficiency in lipid metabolic pathways.