Fermented milk of cheese-derived Lactobacillus subsp. bulgaricus displays potentials in alleviating alcohol-induced hepatic injury and gut dysbiosis in mice

An isolate of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus (L. bulgaricus L7) with robust antioxidant capacity was screened from traditional fermented Xinjiang cheese. Here, we focused on evaluating the effect of L. bulgaricus fermented milk on acute alcoholic liver disease prevention using a mice model, with glutathione treated mice as positive control. The results showed that both fermented milk and glutathione feeding could relieve alcohol-induced oxidative stress and inflammatory responses significantly. However, fermented milk feeding seemed to hold more promise in restoring gut dysbiosis relative to glutathione. Enhanced abundance of potential pathogens, Porphyromonas sp. and Enterococcus sp., induced by alcohol was considerably attenuated by additional feeding of fermented milk. Different scenario was firstly observed when additionally fed with glutathione in this study, showing remarkably increased abundance of Bacteroides sp. and Enterococcus sp. Our results suggested the more robust capability of L. bulgaricus fermented milk in restoring alcohol-induced gut dysbiosis relative to glutathione, indicating its potential protective effects on alcohol-induced hepatic injury.