Lactobacillus M5 prevents osteoarthritis induced by a high-fat diet in mice

A long-term high-fat diet (HFD) can cause OA through biomechanical and metabolic factors, which may be related to changes in the gut microbiota. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the roles of L. paracasei subsp. paracasei M5 (M5) and CS in the prevention of OA caused by HFD and the relationship between the gut microbiota and OA. The results showed that mice receiving an HFD had significantly increased body weight and exhibited characteristics associated with OA. Both M5 and CS effectively prevented the destruction of articular cartilage and the degradation of type II collagen caused by HFD. The level of serum and infrapatellar fat pad (IPFP) leptin was also significantly decreased. A strong predictive relationship was observed between the abundance of Ruminococcaceae_UCG-014, Streptococcus, Bacteroides and OA. In summary, we demonstrated that M5 protected against HFD-induced OA, which was probably associated with modification of the gut microbiota.