Probiotics modify tight-junction proteins in an animal model of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Objectives - We have investigated the effects of a multi–species probiotic preparation containing a combination of probiotic bacterial genera that included Bifidobacteria, Lactobacilli and a Streptococcus in a mouse model of high fat diet/obesity induced liver steatosis. Methods - Three groups of C57B1/6J mice were fed either a standard chow or a high fat diet for 20 weeks, while a third group was fed a high fat diet for 10 weeks and then concomitantly administered probiotics for a further 10 weeks. Serum, liver and large bowel samples were collected for analysis. Results - The expression of the tight junction proteins ZO-1 and ZO-2 was reduced (p Conclusions - Supplementation with a multi-species probiotic formulation helped to maintain tight junction proteins ZO-1 and ZO-2, and reduced hepatic triglyceride concentrations compared with a HFD alone