Effects of skim milk fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum WW on the constitutions of rats fed a high-fat diet

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of Lactobacillus plantarum WW–fermented skim milk (FSM) on the physiques of rats fed a high-fat diet and the mechanism of lipid lowering. Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a normal diet group (A), a high-fat diet group (B), a skim milk diet group (C), and an L. plantarum WW FSM diet group (D). After 12-wk feeding, we found that treatment with L. plantarum WW FSM could significantly alleviate symptoms in the pathological group. Meanwhile, high-throughput sequencing analysis showed that L. plantarum WW FSM also had a certain regulatory effect on the intestinal microorganisms in rats, which can increase the number of lactic acid bacteria and Bacteroides in the intestine. More importantly, real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot analysis showed that the probiotic was also involved in the expression of genes related to fat metabolism, especially the PPARB and CEBPB genes. Our study supports the hypothesis that the WW strain of L. plantarum could be a potential probiotic to be used in functional foods to alter lipid metabolism and reduce cholesterol levels.