Probiotics are live microorganisms that exert beneficial effects on the host, when administered in adequate amounts. Mostly, probiotics affect the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of the host and alter the composition of gut microbiota. Nowadays, the incidence of hip fractures due to osteoporosis is increasing worldwide. Ovariectomized (OVX) rats have fragile bone due to estrogen deficiency and mimic the menopausal conditions in women. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects ofBifidobacterium longum(B. longum) on bone mass density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC), bone remodeling, bone structure, and gene expression in OVX rats. The rats were randomly assigned into 3 groups (sham, OVX, and the OVX group supplemented with 1 mL ofB. longum10⁸–10⁹colony forming units (CFU)/mL).B. longumwas given once daily for 16 weeks, starting from 2 weeks after the surgery. TheB. longumsupplementation increased (p<0.05) serum osteocalcin (OC) and osteoblasts, bone formation parameters, and decreased serum C-terminal telopeptide (CTX) and osteoclasts, bone resorption parameters. It also altered the microstructure of the femur. Consequently, it increased BMD by increasing (p<0.05) the expression ofSparcandBmp-2genes.B. longumalleviated bone loss in OVX rats and enhanced BMD by decreasing bone resorption and increasing bone formation.

A few studies in animals and a study in humans showed a positive effect of probiotic on bone metabolism and bone mass density. Most of the investigated bacteria wereLactobacillusandBifidobacterium. The positive results of the probiotics were supported by the high content of dietary calcium and the high amounts of supplemented probiotics. Some of the principal mechanisms include (1) increasing mineral solubility due to production of short chain fatty acids; (2) producing phytase enzyme by bacteria to overcome the effect of mineral depressed by phytate; (3) reducing intestinal inflammation followed by increasing bone mass density; (4) hydrolysing glycoside bond food in the intestines byLactobacillusandBifidobacteria. These mechanisms lead to increase bioavailability of the minerals. In conclusion, probiotics showed potential effects on bone metabolism through different mechanisms with outstanding results in the animal model. The results also showed that postmenopausal women who suffered from low bone mass density are potential targets to consume probiotics for increasing mineral bioavailability including calcium and consequently increasing bone mass density.

The anti-obesity effects of Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota versus Orlistat on high fat diet-induced obese rats

Lactobacillus helveticus (ATCC 27558) upregulates Runx2 and Bmp2 and modulates bone mineral density in ovariectomy-induced bone loss rats Maria Parvaneh,1,2 Golgis Karimi,1,3 Rosita Jamaluddin,1 Min Hwei Ng,4 Ibrahim Zuriati,1 Sani Ismaila Muhammad5 1Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia; 2Discipline of Life Science, School of Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Charles Perkin Centre, Sydney, NSW, Australia; 3Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Julius Centre University of Malaya (JCUM), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 4Faculty of Medicine, Tissue Engineering Center, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 5Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Sokoto, Nigeria Purpose: Osteoporosis is one of the major health concerns among the elderly population, especially in postmenopausal women. Many menopausal women over 50 years of age lose their bone density and suffer bone fractures. In addition, many mortality and morbidity cases among the elderly are related to hip fracture. This study aims to investigate the effect of Lactobacillus helveticus (L. helveticus) on bone health status among ovariectomized (OVX) bone loss-induced rats. Methods: The rats were either OVX or sham OVX (sham), then were randomly assigned into three groups, G1: sham, G2: OVX and G3: OVX+L. helveticus (1 mL of 108–109 colony forming units). The supplementation was force-fed to the rats once a day for 16 weeks while control groups were force-fed with demineralized water. Results: L. helveticus upregulated the expression of Runx2 and Bmp2, increased serum osteocalcin, bone volume/total volume and trabecular thickness, and decreased serum C-terminal telopeptide and total porosity percentage. It also altered bone microstructure, as a result increasing bone mineral density and bone strength. Conclusion: Our results indicate that L. helveticus attenuates bone remodeling and consequently improves bone health in OVX rats by increasing bone formation along with bone resorption reduction. This study suggests a potential therapeutic effect of L. helveticus (ATCC 27558) on postmenopausal osteoporosis. Keywords: Lactobacillus helveticus, bone mineral density, bone loss, osteoporosis, ovariectomized rats

Recent studies have reported beneficial effects of specific probiotics on obesity. However, the difference in the anti-obesity effects of probiotics as single species and dual species is still uncertain. Therefore, we aimed to compare the efficacy of single and dual species of bacteria on markers of obesity in high-fat diet-induced obese rats. A total of 40 male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to one of five groups of varying diets as follows: standard diet, high fat diet (HFD), HFD supplemented with Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota, HFD supplemented with Bifidobacterium longum and HFD supplemented with a mixture of these two bacterial species. After 15 weeks of supplementation, the animals were examined for changes in body weight, body fat, total count of bacteria in fecal, blood serum lipid profile, leptin, adiponectin and inflammatory biomarkers. Histological analysis of the liver and adipose tissue was performed and the hepatic mRNA expression levels of genes related to lipid metabolism were measured. It was found that probiotic supplementation of either B. longum or a mixture of B. longum and LcS bacteria significantly reduced weight and triglycerides in the HFD groups. Supplementation of B. longum bacteria showed better results in terms of modulating leptin level, fat mass, adipocyte size and lipoprotein lipase expression, as well as increasing adiponectin and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors-γ expression compared to dual species of bacteria. No significant differences were observed in the total count of fecal bacteria, glucose and inflammatory biomarker levels between supplemented groups. B. longum supplementation in obesity was more beneficial in metabolic profile changes than the mixture species.