A Mix of Potentially Probiotic Limosilactobacillus fermentum Strains Alters the Gut Microbiota in a Dose- and Sex-Dependent Manner in Wistar Rats

• Published in: Microorganisms (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 4; p. 659
• Main Authors: Carneiro Dos Santos, Lucas Alves, Carvalho, Rodrigo Dias de Oliveira, Cruz Neto, José Patrocínio Ribeiro, de Albuquerque Lemos, Deborah Emanuelle, de Oliveira, Kataryne Árabe Rimá, Sampaio, Karoliny Brito, de Luna Freire, Micaelle Oliveira, Aburjaile, Flavia Figueira, Azevedo, Vasco Ariston de Carvalho, de Souza, Evandro Leite, de Brito Alves, José Luiz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 26.03.2024
• Subjects: Abundance; Animals; Cytokines; Cytotoxicity; dose–response; Females; Gender differences; gut microbiota; Immunomodulation; Intestinal microflora; Lachnospiraceae; Limosilactobacillus; Lymphocytes T; Males; Microbiota; Microorganisms; Probiotics; Relative abundance; Serum levels; sex differences; Statistical analysis; Variance analysis; Brazil; United States > US; India; dose–response; Limosilactobacillus; gut microbiota; sex differences; probiotics
• ISSN: 2076-2607; 2076-2607
• DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12040659

Multi-strain (L.) is a potential probiotic with reported immunomodulatory properties. This study aimed to evaluate the composition, richness, and diversity of the gut microbiota in male and female rats after treatment with a multi-strain of at different doses. Thirty rats (fifteen male and fifteen female) were allocated into a control group (CTL), a group receiving at a dose of 10 CFU (Lf-10 ), and a group receiving at a dose of 10 CFU (Lf-10 ) for 13 weeks. Gut microbiota and serum cytokine levels were evaluated after treatment. Male CTL rats had a lower relative abundance of and and a lower alpha diversity than their female CTL counterparts ( < 0.05). In addition, male CTL rats had a higher (F/B) ratio than female CTL rats ( < 0.05). In female rats, the administration of at 10 CFU decreased the relative abundance of and and increased ( < 0.05). In male rats, the administration of at 10 CFU decreased the F/B ratio and increased and the diversity of the gut microbiota ( < 0.05). The relative abundance of and the alpha-diversity of gut microbiota were negatively correlated with serum levels of IL1β (r = -0.44) and TNFα (r = -0.39), respectively. This study identified important changes in gut microbiota between male and female rats and showed that a lower dose of may have more beneficial effects on gut microbiota in females, while a higher dose may result in more beneficial effects on gut microbiota in male rats.