M. Zommara et al., EFFECT OF MILK WHEY AND ITS FERMENTATION PRODUCTS BY LACTIC-ACID BACTERIA ON MITOCHONDRIAL LIPID PEROXIDE AND HEPATIC-INJURY IN BILE DUCT-LIGATED RATS, Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry, 58(7), 1994, pp. 1213-1217
The study was carried out to assess whether bovine milk whey and its p
roducts fermented by lactic acid bacteria could ameliorate the lipid p
eroxidation of hepatic mitochondria associated with cholestatic liver
injury due to bile duct ligation. Rats were maintained on one of five
diets for 3 weeks before being operated upon and killed 3 weeks after
bile duct ligation. The diets included one deficient in vitamin E (con
trol diet) and others supplemented with either 5% milk whey or 5% milk
whey fermented with Bifidobacterium longum (B. longum), Lactobacillus
acidophilus (L. acidophilus), and Streptococcus salivarius subsp, the
rmophillus (S. thermophillus). Bile duct-ligated rats, compared with s
ham-operated rats, had higher organ weights (liver and spleen), higher
serum alkaline phosphatase activity, higher serum bilirubin concentra
tion, and higher content of hepatic mitochondrial lipid hydroperoxide.
The rats fed on diets containing milk whey fermented with B. longum a
meliorated the elevation of organ weights, enzyme activity, bilirubin
concentration, and content of mitochondrial lipid hydroperoxide. Milk
whey and milk whey fermented with L. acidophilus and S. thermophillus
also suppressed the elevation of mitochondrial lipid hydroperoxide, bu
t had no ameliorating effects on organ weights, enzyme activity, and b
ilirubin concentration. The elevation of serum lipid hydroperoxide was
ameliorated in rats fed on diets containing milk whey and milk whey f
ermented with B. longum and S. thermophillus. The reduction in plasma
alpha-tocopherol due to bile duct ligation was ameliorated in those ra
ts fed on diets containing milk whey fermented with B. longum as well
as by S. thermophillus. These results suggest that a milk whey ferment
ed with lactic acid bacteria exerts a beneficial effect on free radica
l-mediated hepatic injury.