LACTOBACILLUS FEEDING REDUCES ENDOTOXEMIA AND SEVERITY OF EXPERIMENTAL ALCOHOLIC LIVER (DISEASE)

We have previously shown a relationship between plasma endotoxin level s and severity of alcoholic liver injury in the intragastric feeding r at model. We attempted to reduce both circulating endotoxin and liver injury in this model by administering a lactobacillus strain (species GG) which survives for prolonged periods in the gastrointestinal tract . Male Wistar rats were fed ethanol and liquid diet containing corn oi l (CO + E). Another group of animals (CO + E + L) received the diet co ntaining ethanol plus a dairy bolus of lactobacilli GG concentrate (10 (10) CFU). All animals were sacrificed after one month. All animals ha d plasma endotoxin measurements and evaluation of severity of patholog ic changes in the liver. The weight gain and blood alcohol levels were similar in both groups. The mean +/- SE of the pathology score was si gnificantly higher (3.4 +/- 0.85) in the CO + E group compared to the CO + E + L group (0.5 +/- 0.3, P < 0.01). The virtual absence of patho logic changes in the latter group was accompanied by significantly low er endotoxin levels (8.4 +/- 2.9 pg/ml in CO + E + L. group vs 48.3 +/ - 7.8 pg/ml in CO + E group, P < 0.01). Feeding of strains of lactobac illi that survive in the gastrointestinal tract reduces endotoxemia an d alcohol-induced liver injury in the rat. Lactobacillus species GG pr ovides a potential nontoxic form of therapy for both endotoxemia and a lcoholic liver disease.